Degree Project • 30 hec Hortonomprogrammet / Horticultural Science Programme Alnarp 2017

Faculty of Landscape Architecture, Horticulture and Crop Production Science

Exploring the producers' perspective on local industry development – A case study of the conditions for blackcurrants, strawberries and arctic

raspberries in northern Sweden

Producenternas perspektiv på lokal branschutveckling – En utforskande fallstudie av förutsättningarna för svarta vinbär, jordgubbar och

allåkerbär i norra Sverige Anna Enocksson

SLU, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences Faculty of Landscape Architecture, Horticulture and Crop Production Science Department of Plant Breeding

Exploring the producers’ perspective on local industry development – A case study of the conditions for blackcurrants, strawberries and arctic raspberries in northern Sweden Producenternas perspektiv på lokal branschutveckling – En utforskande fallstudie av förutsättningarna för svarta vinbär, jordgubbar och allåkerbär i norra Sverige Anna Enocksson Supervisor: Sara Spendrup, SLU, Department of Work Science, Business Economics and

Environmental Psychology

Co-supervisor: Sara Byström, The Rural Economy and Agricultural Society for the Norrbotten-Västerbotten region (Hushållningssällskapet Norrbotten-Västerbotten)

Examiner: Lena Ekelund-Axelson, SLU, Department of Work Science, Business Economics and Environmental Psychology

Credits: 30 hec Project level: A2E Course Title: Master’s Thesis Project in Horticultural Science Course Code: EX0801 Subject: Horticultural Science Programme: Hortonomprogrammet / Horticultural Science Programme Place of Publication: Alnarp Year of Publication: 2017 Cover Art: Anna Enocksson Online Publication: http://stud.epsilon.slu.se Keywords: producers, knowledge and innovation systems, strategy, value chain, industry development, processing, blackcurrant, strawberry, arctic raspberry, Sweden

iii

Acknowledgements Overtheyears,manyofthemspentasastudent,Ihavemetalotofpeopleandheardalotof

stories.Talesofexperiences,ideas,viewsonlife,people,natureandmuchmorewhichoften

haveleftmeamazed.ThesepeoplehavecomefromallsortsofbackgroundsandifIwereto

describethemasagrouptheonlythingtheyreallyhaveincommonisthattheyarereflecting

upon theworld surrounding them, thoughondifferent scales, and that theyall believe in

something,beitpeopleortheirideasorsomethingentirelydifferent.WhenIstartedwiththis

thesisthiswaswhatIwantedtobuildmyfoundationon,to

TherearealotofpeopleIwanttothank,andIwillprobablyneverbeabletoincludethemall

hereevenifIallowedthissectiontobelongerthantheactualthesisitself,butIwanttoname

afew.Myfirstthankyougoestomymother,forteachingmetolistentothestoriespeople

tellaswellasthosethatarehiddenbetweenthelines.WithoutthatIdoubtIwouldbewriting

thisthesis.Mysecondthankyougoestoallthepeoplethathavehelpedmemakethisthesis

possible, especially the people I have interviewed that were so kind and open with me.

HushållningssällskapetNorrbotten-Västerbottenhasalsobeenofgreathelpastheyhelped

mesetthesubjectandshowedsuchinterestintheirproducersandhowtobetterhelpthem.

ThestipendprovidedbythefoundationStiftelsenNilsson-Aschansstipendiefond,awardedby

theRoyalSwedishAcademyofAgricultureandForestry(KSLA),whichIreceivedtocovermy

travelexpenseswhenconductingtheinterviewshasalsobeenofgreathelptomakethisthesis

areality.

Ihopethatthisthesiswillhelptogainabetterunderstandingofthepositionofproducers,

bothwheretheystandintheiropinionsandideasandintheirindustries,aswellasprovide

someideasforthefuture.Withoutmysupervisors,SaraandSara,thisthesiswouldnothave

beenpossibleastheyhavehelpedmeconnectwithbothpeople,theoriesandliteraturewhich

hasgivenmeastartingpointaswellassupportwhenIhavelostmyselftoodeeplyinthedata.

Last,butdefinitelynotleast,myboyfriendFilipdeservesahugethankyouforsupportingme

whenIstressedoutaboutthewritingprocess.

iv

Abstract Sweden isworkingonanational foodstrategyto increasethecompetitivenessofSwedishagriculturebyincreasingthecompetitivenessofthefoodvaluechainsandincreasingthetotalfoodproduction, inrelationtoconsumerdemand.Asberriesareahorticulturalproductofhighconsumerdemand,andberriesarethemainhorticulturalcropinnorthernSwedenthiscasestudyfocusesonberryproducersinnorthernSweden.Thestudyisbasedoninterviewswithblackcurrant,strawberryandarcticberryfarmersinNorrbottenandVästerbotten,thetwonorthernmostcountiesinSweden.Itaimstoexploretheposition(opinionsandindustryposition) of the producers in regards to the berry value chains and the knowledge andinnovation systems they are a part of, as a strategic area pinpointed in the national foodstrategy is knowledge and innovation. In order to achieve this the interviews focused onmapping the value chains, exploring the barriers producers experienced in regards toimprovingtheirpositionandthepotentialtheproducerssawinregardstochangesinthevaluechain,supportsystemforproducersandproductbasedontheirberries.Themainfindingsofthiscasestudyarethatthereisaneedforcommonplatformsthatbringtogetherdifferentactorsinthevaluechain,andencouragesnetworkingandknowledgesharingbetweenthem,aswellasastrongersupportnetworktocaptureandhelpcreatenewknowledge,whichisthebasisforinnovation.Thereisalsoapotentialformoreruralnetworks,tofindnewbusinessopportunitiesforcreatingaddedvaluetoconsumersbysupportingcollaborationsbetweenforexampleproducersandprocessors,orproducersandtourismagents.Thestudyhasalsofoundthattherearedifferencesbetweenproducersinregardstohowtheyviewthemselvesas producers and in what drives them to produce berries, which influences how likely aproducer is tobe innovativeandopentonewventures thatcanhelp todevelop the localindustry.Inadditiontothefindingsaboutproducersandtheirrolesinvaluechains,thestudyhasalsoservedasanexampleofhowpoliciesandpoliticaldecisionscanaffectvaluechainsand the attitudes of its actors for a long time, as in the case of blackcurrantswhere theproductionwaspromotedbylocalauthoritiestolaterbecomeapartofthederegulationofmarkets.

v

Sammanfattning Sverigearbetar förennationell livsmedelsstrategi förattstärkakonkurrenskraftenhosdetsvenska jordbruket,genomattökakonkurrenskraftenhos livsmedelskedjornaochökadentotala livsmedelsproduktionen, i förhållande till konsumenternasefterfrågan.Dåbär är enträdgårdsprodukt med hög efterfrågan från konsumenterna, och bär är den viktigasteträdgårdsproduktioneninorraSverigefokuserardennafallstudiepåbärproducenterinorraSverige.Studienbyggerpåenkvalitativmetodmedintervjuermedsvartvinbärs-,jordgubbs-ochallåkerbärsodlareiNorrbottenochVästerbotten,detvånordligasteläneniSverige.Denhar sommål attundersökaproducenternasposition (åsikterochbranschposition) rörandebärensvärdekedjorochdekunskaps-ochinnovationssystemdeärendelav,dåettstrategisktområdeidennationellalivsmedelsstrateginärkunskapochinnovation.Förattuppnådettafokuserade intervjuerna på att kartlägga värdekedjorna, utforska vilka hinder producenterupplevdestodivägenförattförbättraderaspositionochvilkenpotentialproducenternasåggällandeförändringarivärdekedjan,stödsystemetförproducenterochprodukterbaseradpåderasbär.Deviktigaste resultatensomkomavdennastudieärattdet finnsettbehovavgemensammaplattformarförattsammanföraolikaaktörerivärdekedjorna,vilkauppmuntrarnätverkandeochkunskapsutbytemellandem,liksomettstarkarestödnätverkförattfångaochbidratillattskapanykunskap,vilket i sintur liggertillgrundför innovation.Det finnsocksåenpotentialförtydligarelandsbygdsnätverk,atthittanyaaffärsmöjligheterförattskapamervärdeförkonsumenternagenomattstödjasamarbetenmellantillexempelproducenterochförädlare,ellerproducenterochturismaktörer.Studienfannocksåattdetfinnsskillnadermellanproducenternärdetgällerhurdebetraktarsigsjälvasomproducenter,ochivadsomdriverdemattproducerabär,vilketpåverkarhursannoliktdetärförenproducentattvarainnovativochöppenförnyasatsningarsomkanhjälpatillattutveckladenlokalabranschen.Utöverresultatenomproducenternaochderasrollerisinavärdekedjorharstudienocksåvisatpåhurpolitikochpolitiskabeslutkanpåverkavärdekedjorochattitydernahosderasaktörerunder lång tid, som i fallet med svarta vinbär där produktionen främjades av lokalamyndigheterförattsenarebliendelavmarknadsavregleringen.

vi

Table of contents

Acknowledgements.............................................................................................................................iii

Abstract.................................................................................................................................................iv

Sammanfattning....................................................................................................................................v

Table of contents.................................................................................................................................vi

Translations and explanations.........................................................................................................viii

1. Introduction....................................................................................................................................1

1.1 Background for the case study...........................................................................................2

1.2 Purpose and aims.................................................................................................................7

1.3 Delimitations..........................................................................................................................7

1.4 Outline....................................................................................................................................8

2. Literature review and theoretical framework.............................................................................9

2.1 Primary producers and innovation.....................................................................................9

2.2 Strategy................................................................................................................................10

2.3 The Five Forces model......................................................................................................11

2.3.1 Examples of the Five Forces model in berry industries............................................12

2.4 Knowledge and Innovation Systems................................................................................14

3. Methodology and method..........................................................................................................17

3.1 Qualitative research methods...........................................................................................17

3.2 Selection of participants.....................................................................................................18

3.3 Interviews.............................................................................................................................18

3.4 Analysis................................................................................................................................19

3.5 Validity..................................................................................................................................20

3.6 Ethics....................................................................................................................................21

4. Results.........................................................................................................................................23

4.1 The berry value chains.......................................................................................................23

4.1.1 Blackcurrants...................................................................................................................23

vii

4.1.2 Strawberries....................................................................................................................25

4.1.3 Arctic raspberries............................................................................................................26

4.2 Barriers faced by producers..............................................................................................26

4.2.1 Motivation.........................................................................................................................27

4.2.2 Support.............................................................................................................................29

4.2.3 Cultivation........................................................................................................................29

4.2.4 Market...............................................................................................................................30

4.2.5 Networks..........................................................................................................................31

4.3 Visions for the berry value chain......................................................................................33

5. Discussion...................................................................................................................................35

5.1 Position of producers following the Five Forces model.................................................35

5.2 Comparison of value chains..............................................................................................37

5.3 Knowledge and innovation systems.................................................................................38

5.4 Suggestions for improvement...........................................................................................39

5.5 Suggestions for future research.......................................................................................40

6. Conclusions.................................................................................................................................42

7. Reflections...................................................................................................................................43

8. References..................................................................................................................................45

Appendix 1: Interview guide.................................................................................................................I

Appendix 2: Original interview quotes in Swedish...........................................................................II

viii

Translations and explanations As largepartsof this thesis arebasedon interviews carriedout in Swedish, and concerns

institutionsandregionsthatdonotalwayshavegoodtranslations,someSwedishnameswill

beused.Belowisalistofthesenames,andabriefexplanationofthem.

Hushållningssällskapet TheRuralEconomyandAgriculturalSociety

Aregionallybasedorganisationworkingwithextensionandruraldevelopment.ThesesocietiesexistinmostcountiesofSweden,theonementionedinthisthesisistheoneworkinginthecountiesNorrbottenandVästerbotten.

Länsstyrelsen TheCountyAdministrativeBoard

AregionalgovernmentagencyofSweden,oneineachcountyallappointedbytheSwedishgovernment.

NBG NorrbottensBärochGrönsaker

AregisteredbusinessassociationforproducersofberriesandvegetablesintheNorrbottenregionofSweden.

Norrbotten (NorthBothnia) ThelargestandnorthernmostcountyofSweden,coveringover98000km2.

SLU TheSwedishUniversityofAgriculturalSciences

TheonlySwedishuniversityworkingwiththefieldsofagriculture,horticultureandforestryinbothresearchandeducation.

Västerbotten (WestBothnia) ThesecondlargestandsecondnorthernmostcountyofSweden,coveringover55000km2.

Öjebyn ApartofthecityofPiteå,NorrbottenwhereHushållningssällskapetNorrbotten-VästerbottenrunsÖjebynAgroPark,aresearchstationincludinghorticulturalandagriculturalfieldtrials.SLUpreviouslyrantheresearchstation,aswellasoneinRöbäcksdaleninUmeå,Västerbotten.

1

1. Introduction The Swedish government has recently begun setting the goals for a new national food

strategy.TheoverarchinggoalofthestrategyistoincreasethecompetitivenessofSwedish

agriculture, by making the food value chain competitive and increasing the total food

production, while reaching relevant environmental goals (Regeringskansliet, 2017). The

reasonbehind thegoal is awish to create growth, jobopportunities and to contribute to

sustainable development throughout the country. This increase in production ismeant to

respondtoconsumerdemands,andtohelpimprovetheself-sufficiencydegreeinSwedento

decreasethevulnerability inthefoodsystem.Thestrategyhasthreestrategicareas:Rules

andregulations,consumersandmarket,andknowledgeandinnovation(Regeringskansliet,

2017).

Despite the goals of the food strategy there is a trend for decreasing agricultural land in

Sweden, with calculations showing that an estimated 10,33% of all land in Sweden was

consideredagriculturalareasin1961,butonly7,47%in2011(FAOSTAT,2016a),adecrease

of1,2millionhectares,aswhatwaspreviouslyagriculturallandhasbeenusedfore.g.forests

andcityexpansions(SCB,2013).EversincetheEUentryin1995,thevalueofagriculturalland

hasincreasedcontinuouslyinSweden,andthehighestpricesfoundintheSouthofSweden

andthelowestintheNorth,at180000SEK/haandroughly2400SEK/harespectively(SCB,

2013).ThismakesagricultureintheNorthinterestingfromaneconomicstandpoint,especially

if cultivars and cultivation methods that provide better performance under northern

conditionsaredeveloped.

Europehasbeenthemaincurrantproducergloballyforaslongasthereisdataavailable,since

1961,andhassteadilybeensupplying99%of theglobalproductionofcurrants (FAOSTAT,

2016b).ThelargestproducingcountriesinthepasttenyearsareRussia,Poland,Ukraineand

AustriawithRussiaproducingaboutover350millionkgcurrantsannuallyandPoland just

shortof200milliontonneswhilebothUkraineandAustriacomeinatabout20-25million

tonnes(FAOSTAT,2016b).AsacomparisonSwedenproducesaround200-300tonnes,merely

a thousandth of the currant production of Ukraine. Still, a majority of the blackcurrants

producedinSwedencomefromthenorthernpartsofthecountry(Jordbruksverket,2015).

2

1.1 Background for the case study

TheberryproductioninSwedenhasbeenrelativelystablesincetheturnofthecentury,when

looking at the cultivated area. What has changed however, is the number of companies

involved in berry cultivation (see figure 1 for comparison). These have been decreasing

steadilysincethemid1980’s,reflectingageneraltrendinSwedishagriculturefordecreasing

numberofcompanies,andincreasingfarmsizes(SCB,2013).Intheberrysectortheincreasing

farmsizesareespeciallyreflectedinstrawberrycultivation,whichalsomakesupabout80%

oftheoutdoorcultivationofberriesinSweden(Jordbruksverket,2015).

Figure1.Thetrendsovertheyears1971to2014forberrycultivationinregardstocultivatedarea(hectares)andnumberofcompanies.(Jordbruksverket,2000,Jordbruksverket,2015)

When discussing the berries cultivated in Sweden strawberries aremost important when

consideringcultivatedareaaswellasharvestedquantities.Whilethecultivatedareahasbeen

relativelystableoverthepast10years(Jordbruksverket,2015),itisstillmuchlowerthanin

themid1990’s.Theharvestedquantitieshaveincreasedgreatlyandarestillshowingarising

trend,whichshowsinincreasedyields(seefigure2).Forblackcurrantsthesameparameters

haveshowndecreasingtrendssince2000,thoughtherehasbeenasmallriseinthelastsurvey

in2014.Simultaneouslywiththedecreasingtrendsforblackcurrantsraspberriesareshowing

increasingtrendsincultivatedareas,productionquantitiesandyields(Jordbruksverket,2015).

0

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1971 1976 1981 1984 1987 1990 1993 1996 1999 2002 2005 2008 2011 2014Nu

mbe

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panies

Area,ha

Year

OutdoorberryproductioninSweden

Area,ha Numberofcompanies

3

Figure2.Thearea(hectares)cultivatedwiththethreemostcommonlyproducedtypesofberries(strawberries,blackcurrantsandraspberries)inallofSwedenovertheyears1976-2014areshowninthelines,correspondingtotheprimaryaxiswhiletheyieldsofthesametypesofberriesoverthesametimeperiodareshowninthestapleswhichcorrespondtothesecondaryaxis.(Jordbruksverket,2000,Jordbruksverket,2015)

WithinSwedenthereisacleartrendshowingadeclineofblackcurrantproduction(seefigure

2)wherethecultivatedareahaddecreasedto316hectaresin2014(Jordbruksverket,2015),

makingitonlyathirdofthe954hectarescultivatedwithblackcurrantsin1984(SCB,2012).

AsthishasbeenthesecondlargestberryproductioninSwedenoverthepastdecadesit is

important to investigate the strategic position of the berry producers in Sweden, and

particularlyinnorthernSwedenwhereblackcurrantshavebeentheberrymostcommercially

produced.ThedeclineappearstocorrelatewellwiththeSwedishentry intotheEuropean

Unionin1995,whichmakesitrelevanttolookintohowberryproducersperceivetheEUentry

inregardstotheirproductionandtheberryvaluechains.

Astheinterestforlocallyproducedfoodhasincreased,andberrieshavebecomeastaplein

mostfreezerstobeconstantlyavailableforsmoothiesandcolourfulantioxidantadditionsto

porridge and yoghurt, it wouldmake sense for Swedish berry producers to experience a

revival.

Notmuchhasbeenwrittenabouttheberryproduction innorthernSwedeninthepast20

years apart from reports by Elisabeth Öberg for Hushållningssällskapet Norrbotten-

Västerbotten.ThefollowingpartaboutthestateoftheberryproductioninnorthernSweden

will therefore be based on her reports. Itmainly focuses on Norrbotten county, as berry

0,00

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1976 1981 1984 1987 1990 1993 1996 1999 2002 2005 2008 2011 2014

Yield(to

nnes/ha)

Cultivatedarea(h

a)

Year

Swedishberryproduction:Cultivatedareasandyields

Blackcurrants Strawberries Raspberries

Blackcurrants Strawberries Raspberries

4

productionismuchsmallerinVästerbottencounty(lessthan50hectaresarecultivatedfor

berryproduction,seefigure3).

Figure 3. Cultivated area (hectares) and number of companies involved in berry production in the twonorthernmostcountiesofSweden–VästerbottenandNorrbotten–overthepast20years.(Jordbruksverket,2000,Jordbruksverket,2006,Jordbruksverket,2009,Jordbruksverket,2012,Jordbruksverket,2015)

Figure4.Theshareofthetotalberryproduction(harvestedtonnes)inthetwonorthernmostcountiesofSwedenheld by different types of berries in 2014. The two most common type of berries are blackcurrants andstrawberries,whilethecategoryforotherberriesisnotdefinedinthestatistics,butespeciallyforVästerbottendoesincludearcticraspberriesaccordingtoinformationfromHushållningssällskapetNorrbotten-Västerbottenandtheinterviewsconductedforthisthesis.(Jordbruksverket,2015)

0

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020406080100120140160180200

1999 2002 2005 2008 2011 2014

Numbe

rofcom

panies

Area(h

a)

Year

BerryproductioninnorthernSweden

Västerbotten Norrbotten Västerbotten Norrbotten

Norrbotten VästerbottenOtherberries 2 5

Strawberries 29 21

Blackcurrants 122 15

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%

100%

%oftotalberryharvest(ton

nes)

County

Therelativeproductionofcultivatedberries2014

5

Aspreviouslymentionedagricultural land isdecreasing in Sweden, and inNorrbotten227

hectarsoflandusedforcommercialoutdoorcultivationhavedisappearedinthepast20years,

togetherwith77companiesinthehorticulturalsector(Öberg,2015).Berryproductionhas

beenthemostcommoncategoryofhorticulturalcropcultivatedoutdoorinnorthernSweden,

with blackcurrant being the most produced berry crop (see figure 4), but commercial

horticulturalproductionhasneverbeenbiginnorthernSweden,especiallywhencomparing

ittomoresouthernregions.Apushforblackcurrantproductionfromregionalpoliticiansin

theearly1980’sinNorrbottenleadtoitbecomingtheleadingblackcurrantproducingregion

inSwedenbytheendofthedecadewhenitproducedathirdofallblackcurrantsinSweden

andcoveredalmost280hectaresofland(Öberg,2015).In2014itwasdownto112hectares

(Jordbruksverket,2015).

RecentlythereisanincreasedpublicinterestinagricultureinNorrbottenandsincetheendof

2016Norrbottencountyhasitsownregionalfoodstrategyfortheyears2016-2020(Stenmark

et al., 2016), with the vision “Mer norrbottnisk mat på tallrikarna” (“More food from

Norrbottenontheplates”,Stenmarketal.,2016,p.30).Thiscomesinadditiontothenational

food strategy, to further emphasize and work according to the regional conditions. The

strategyfocusesalotonregionalcollaborationbetweendifferentvaluechainactorsaswell

as industriesand ithasfiveprioritizedareas,ofwhichparticularlythreeareof interest for

berry producers: Competitive food production and energy supply, which concerns better

communication and understanding in the value chains; competence management, which

concerns thedevelopmentofextensionandeducation in theareaofproductionandrural

development;identityandpride,whichconcernsraisingtheperceptionofproductsproduced

in the region by increasing communication and collaboration between industries such as

agricultureandtourism(Stenmarketal.,2016).

WhiletheareascultivatedwithberriesinSwedenhavebeendecreasingoverthepast20years

(Jordbruksverket, 2000, Jordbruksverket, 2015), the consumption of berries has been

increasing(seefigure5),bothinfresh,frozenandmostprocessedforms.Thisisalsoreflected

in the imports of fruits, nuts and berries where the imported values are displaying clear

increasingtrendsforthepast15years(seefigure6).

6

Figure5.Consumedquantitiesoffreshandfrozenberries,andprocessedproductsintheformofpurees,jamsandjuicesmadefromfruitsorberriesinSwedenfortheyears1960-2015.Allquantitiesaregiveninkg/capitaexceptforjuicewhichisgiveninl/capitaonthesecondaryaxis.(Jordbruksverket,2016)

Figure6.Valueofimportedproducts(inthousandSEK)accordingtoSPIN2007codesfortheyears2000-2015,wherethecategoryfreshproduceincludesalltypesoffruit,nutsandberries,exceptfortropicalfruit(SPINcode01.250); the category juice includes juicesmade from fruits, berries and vegetables (SPIN code 10.320); thecategoryotherprocessedproductsincludesprocessedortreatedfruits,berriesandpotherbs(SPINcode10.390).Asthevaluesaremuchhigherforthecategoryotherprocessedproductsitisfoundonthesecondaryaxisontheright.(SCB,2017)

0

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1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2013 2014 2015 (prel.)

Consum

edquantity

ofjuice(l/capita

)

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edquantity

(kg/capita)

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Swedishberryconsumption

Freshberries Frozenberries Puree Jam Juice

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lue(th

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)forotherprocessed

prod

ucts

Value(th

ousand

SEK

)

Year

Importvalues

Freshproduce Juice Otherprocessedproducts

7

1.2 Purpose and aims

Thepurposeofthisstudyistoinvestigatethepositionandperspectivesofberryproducersin

northernSwedeninregardstotheiropinionsandindustryposition,bydoingacasestudyof

blackcurrant,strawberryandarctic raspberryproducers. Inorder to fulfil thisanumberof

aimshavebeenset:

1. Mapping how the value chain of blackcurrants, strawberries and arctic raspberries

havebeenstructuredinnorthernSwedenoverthepastdecades,accordingtoberry

producers;

2. Identifyingwhichmajorchallengesproducersofblackcurrants,strawberriesorarctic

raspberriesexperienceintheirroleasproducers;

3. Investigatingwhichopportunitiescurrentproducersofblackcurrants,strawberriesor

arcticraspberriesseeforprocessedberryproductsandre-organizationofthevalue

chains;

4. Reviewing how the berry value chains in northern Sweden compare to other

horticulturalvaluechainswithafocusontheroleoftheproducer;

5. Findingrelevantsuggestionstoimprovethepositionofberryproducersinnorthern

Sweden,withafocustopromotingincreasedinnovationandprocessingofberries.

Theseaimswilltogetherhelptoidentifykeyfactorstoexplainthecurrentconditionsofberry

productionandtheberryindustryinnorthernSweden.

1.3 Delimitations

ThisprojectisfocusedonblackcurrantandarcticraspberryproducersinnorthernSwedenbut

interviews have also been carried out with a few producers of other berries, primarily

strawberries,togaintheperspectivesofyoungerproducers.Thecasestudyprimarilyfocuses

onblackcurrantproducersasthishasbeenthemajorberryproducedinnorthernSwedenfor

thepastdecades,andarcticraspberriesforitsnoveltyfactorandtheinterestithasgainedas

apotentialdelicacy.Duetodifficultiescontactingproducersthatendedtheirproductiononly

activeproducershavebeeninterviewed.

8

1.4 Outline

Thispaperwillcontinuebyaddressingthetheoreticalframeworkofthethesis,followedbya

sectionabouttheresearchmethodologyandthenaresultsection.Theresultsectionisdivided

into subsections based on the research aims, in which quotes and information from the

interviewsareshared.Thesearedividedintocategoriesbasedongroupingsdoneduringthe

thematicanalysis,andthethemesareaspreviouslymentionedbasedonthedata.Following

the result section is a discussion section in which the results are interpreted and the

theoreticalframeworkisappliedtotheresults,inordertoprovidetheresultswithastructure

andlanguagecoherentwithcurrentresearch.Attheendofthediscussionsectionaretwo

subsectionscontainingsuggestions,oneforchangestothesystemsthatarestudiedinthis

thesis,andoneforpotentialfutureresearchtopicsasrevealedbytheoutcomesofthisstudy.

Afterthediscussionsectioncomesabriefsectiononconclusionsstemmingfromthisstudy,

andthereafterasectioncontainingtheauthorsreflectionsonthestudyandtheworkleading

upto it.The last sectioncontains thereferencesused in this study,appendix1showsthe

interview guide used by the interviewer and appendix 2 contains all quotes from the

interviewspresentedinthepaperintheiroriginallanguage(Swedish).Eachquoteinthepaper

isnumberedandbylookingforthecorrespondingnumberinappendix2thequotecanbe

easilyfound.

9

2. Literature review and theoretical framework Most studies concerning farmers have focused on only one field of research, such as

economicsormanagement,butwhilethisstudyincludesseveralframeworksdrawnfromthis

workinordertocreatestructure,ittakesadifferentapproach.Ratherthanfocusingonafield

of research it focuses onproducers andon all things affecting their berry production and

decisions and aims to find structural key points important for understanding the position

producers are in, in their industry as well as where they stand in regards to change and

innovation.Itfocuseslessonnumbers,andmoreontheinternalfactorssuchasmotivation,

beliefsandcontexts,aswellaswhathascreatedthespecificcontexts.DuringmysearchIhave

foundnoliteraturetakingthisapproach,buthavedrawnontheframeworksofdifferentfields

ofresearchineconomicsandmanagement.

2.1 Primary producers and innovation

YouonlyneedtodoaquickGooglesearchtofindouthowmainstreamithasbecometonow

consideritmostimportantforfarmerstobenotonlygoodgrowers,buttobeentrepreneurs

(Forbes,2014,Guardian,2014,UN,2011),focusedontheneedsandwantsoftheircustomers

and ready to find that extra somethingwhichwill give themadded value. Added value is

always seen in relation to the competition and in order to truly offer added value it is

importantthatthevalueofferedisuniqueandrelevantaswellasappreciatedbycustomers

(deChernatonyetal.,2000).Insearchofthisaddedvalue,andforkeepingproductionefficient

andup-to-date, theroleof innovation isoftenpointedout.Definitionsofwhat innovation

consistofvarywiththefocusofapaper,andoftenreferstotechnologicalaspectsbutforthis

paperIhaveoptedforabroaderdefinitionofinnovation,astechnologicalaspectsonlymake

uponepartofsmall-scaleagriculture:

“We define an innovation as anything new successfully introduced into an

economic or social process. In other words, an innovation is not just trying

somethingnewbutsuccessfullyintegratinganewideaorproductintoaprocess

thatincludestechnical,economic,andsocialcomponents.Thisdefinitionstresses

threeimportantfeatures.First,innovationisthecreativeuseofdifferenttypesof

knowledgeinresponsetosocialoreconomicneedsandopportunities.Second,a

trialonlybecomesan innovationwhen it isadoptedaspartofaprocess;many

10

agents try new things, but few of these trials yield practices or products that

improvewhatisalreadyinuse.Third,innovationsareacceptedassuchinspecific

socialandeconomicenvironments.”(Spielmanetal.,2009,p.400-401)

Inadditiontothisdefinition,areportbyaworkinggroupoftheEuropeanUnion’sStanding

CommitteeonAgriculturalResearch (SCAR)providesadditionalnuances to the conceptof

innovation: “Innovation starts with mobilising existing knowledge. Innovation is a social

process,morebottom-upor interactivethantop-downfromscienceto implementation./…/

Veryoftenpartnersareneededtoimplementaninnovation.”(EU-SCAR,2012,p.9)

2.2 Strategy

Strategyisimportantinalllinesofbusiness,nomatterthescaleorindustry.Boththeresearch

aimsconcerningthestructureofvaluechainsandtheaimsconcerningvisionsandbarriers

relate back to strategy and it is therefore important to include scientific theories about

strategy in this study.While thereare several theories about strategyandwhichanalyses

shouldbeusedtoinformstrategyformation,Porterisoneofthemostcitedreferencesonthe

subject.PorterisapartofwhatisgenerallyviewedastheHarvardschoolofstrategyandhas

greatlyinfluencedtheconceptofwhatstrategyis(SeddonandLewis,2003).

Inthepastoperationalefficiency–loweringcostsandcreatingmoreefficientprocessesthan

competitors–havebeenamajorfocuswhilestrategyhasbeenputonthebackburner(Porter,

1996).Whileoperationalefficiency is important strategy isat leastequally important,and

should be focused on strategic positioning – to set your company apart from others by

performingactivitiesthataredifferentfromcompetitors’orbyperformingthesameactivities

asthecompetitors,butinadifferentway(Porter,1996).Inordertogainthisuniqueposition

acompanyneedstofinditscombinationofscaleswhenconcerningmarkets,customerneeds

andcustomergroup.Allthesethreecategoriescanbedefinedaseitherbroadornarrow,and

strategic positioning can therefore occur either by serving few needs ofmany customers

(variety-basedpositioning),broadneedsoffewcustomers(needs-basedpositioning)orbroad

needsofmanycustomers inanarrowmarket (access-basedpositioning) (Porter,1996). In

additiontothisPorterstressestheimportanceofdecidingwhatnottodoinordertoalign

withthestrategy,andtherebymakingsurethattheactivitiesofacompanyfittogethersothat

11

theyreinforceoneanothermakingithardforacompetitortocopysingleactivitiesandstill

gainthesameadvantages.

2.3 The Five Forces model

InordertocreateastrategicpositioninamarketorindustrytheFiveForcesmodelcanbe

usedtoassesseitheracurrentpositionorwhereinanindustrytheremaybeagapforanew

company,bothwiththeaimofweakeningexternalforcesorpositioningacompanywhere

forces are already weaker. The Five Forces are (Porter, 2008, see figure 7 for a graphic

representationofthemodel):

• Rivalryamongexistingcompetitors–Amoreinternalforcethatcanbeforexample

pricecuts,advertisementandsoon.Thedegreeofrivalrydependsontheintensityof

competitionandthebasisonwhichcompetitionoccurs.Theintensityisinfluencedby

thenumberofcompetitorsandwhetherornottheirsizesandpowerareequal,the

industrygrowthrate,andwhichexitbarriersexistfortheindustry.

• Threatofnewentrants–Ahighthreatofnewentrantsforcescurrentcompaniesto

focusonoperationalefficiencyinordertokeeppricesdown.Thethreatdependson

howstrongthebarrierstoentryare,whichcanbeforexampleabenefitoflargesize,

thecostscustomerswouldincurbyswitchingtoanewcompany,investmentneeds,

accesstoexistingdistributionchannels,andgovernmentpolicies.

• Threat of substitute products or services – A substitution does not have to occur

directlyoreveninthesameindustryinordertothreatenaproductandcanbevery

different fromtheproductas longas it fulfils thesameneeds,offersagoodprice-

performanceandcomeswithalowswitchingcostforbuyers.

• Bargainingpowerof suppliers– Inavaluechainstrongbargainingpowersheldby

supplierswillmeanthattheycapturemoreofthevalue,somethingwhichgenerally

happens if the supplier ifmore concentrated than the industry towhich it sells its

products,iftheindustryisnotprovidethemajorrevenueforthesupplier,ifacustomer

ofthesupplierwouldfacehigherswitchingcostsifchangingtoanothersupplier,ifthe

productofthesupplieraredifferentiatedorcannoteasilybesubstituted.

• Bargaining power of buyers – When buyers have negotiating leverage they are

powerfulrelativetothecompany,somethingthatcanhappeniftherearefewbuyers,

12

purchase volumes are large, the products are undifferentiated and can easily be

substitutedwithoutmajorswitchingcosts.

Figure7.TheFiveForcesaffectingavaluechainactororindustry(Porter,1979,Porter,2008)

2.3.1 Examples of the Five Forces model in berry industries

Cernuscaetal.(2011)haveinvestigatedthegrowingelderberryindustryintheUSA,basedon

Porter’sFiveForcesModel(Porter,2008).Theyconsiderittobeanindustrywithhighgrowth

potential,butalsoahighriskwhenitcomestoinvestmentsduetothemanyuncertainties

thatplaguetheindustry(Cernuscaetal.,2012).

The industryshowsastrongvertical integrationwithproducersgenerallynotonlygrowing

theirberriesbutalsopropagatingtheirownplantmaterialandprocessingtheirberriesinto

productsofaddedvalue.Therearealsodifferenttypesofprocessorsinvolved(neutraceutical

manufacturer,wineryandothervalue-addingprocessors),thatcatertodifferentconsumer

markets,whichdecreasesthebargainingpowerofthebuyersastheyaremoreboundtotheir

berry supplier. All in all this positions the elderberry producers in a quite strong industry

position,asisshowninfigure8.

Rivalryamongexistingcompetitors

Threatofnewentrants

Bargainingpowerofbuyers

Threatofsubstitute

Bargainingpowerofsuppliers

13

(A) (B)

Figure8.Thegreenfigure(A)showsthefiveforcesasexperiencedbyAmericanelderberryproducers,whiletheorangefigure(B)showsthesameforcesasexperiencedbyChileanraspberryproducers.

AsasecondexampleChalliesandMurray(2011)haveinvestigatedtheChileanraspberryvalue

chain,whichaccordingtothemisthesecondlargestexporterofraspberriesglobally,despite

beingarathersmallproducerwithaproductionthathasshiftedtowardssmallscaleproducers

inaworldwherehorticultural(specialty)productssupplychainshaveincreasinglycomeunder

the control of supermarkets in an attempt to improve quality and access. The Chilean

raspberryvaluechainisstronglybuyerdrivenwithEuropeanandAmericanretailerssetting

thedemands.Vertical integration in the value chain exists, andhasprimarily consistedof

growerscomingtogethertocreatecompaniestoworkdownstreamoftheminthevaluechain.

Marketaccess ishighlydependenton thescaleofoperation.Smallerproducersotherwise

generallyselltheirproducetoanintermediary,whilemediumandlargescaleproducersskip

thatstepandsellstraighttoacentralorganisation,importer,wholesalerorretailer,mainly

afterthefruithasbeensenttoafruitprocessingorpackingcompany.Themainbarrierfor

growthintheindustryisreportedtobealackofintegrationandcoordinationintheupper

endofthevaluechain,amongtheprimaryproducers,whichispreventingincreasedquality

andproductivity (ChalliesandMurray,2011). These factors together lead toamoreweak

strategicindustrypositionoftheraspberryproducers(seefigure8).

Rivalryamong

competitors:LOW

Threatofnewentrant:

LOW

Bargainingpowerofbuyers:LOW

Threatofsubstitutes:MODERATE

Bargainingpowerofsuppliers:MODERATE

Rivalryamong

competitors:MODERATE

Threatofnewentrant:UNCLEAR

Bargainingpowerofbuyers:HIGH

Threatofsubstitutes:MODERATE

Bargainingpowerofsuppliers:UNCLEAR

14

2.4 Knowledge and Innovation Systems

WithinthefieldofagriculturetheconceptofAgriculturalKnowledgeandInnovationSystems

(AKIS) has been considered useful to describe the system rather than linear nature of

innovation, by emphasizing the organisations involved and their interfaces as well as the

institutionalinfrastructure,especiallyinregardstofinancialmatter(EU-SCAR,2012).

Figure9.Thedifferentactorsinvolvedinagriculturalknowledgeandinnovationsystems(AKIS),wheresomearealsopartoftheproductdistributionchain(asshownwiththearrowshapes).Therearelayerstotheextension,educationandresearchportionwheretheextensionisclosesttotheproducersandisapartofbotheducationandresearch,justaseducationisalsoapartofresearch.Thesamerelationshipexistsintheprocessor,retailerandconsumerportionwheretheconsumersencompasstheentiretyastheyaretheoneswhocapturethevaluesaddedthroughoutthechain.(EU-SCAR,2012)

Innovation has increasingly become the responsibility of businesses (EU-SCAR, 2012), due

primarily to thechanges instructure thathaveoccurredwithin theagricultural sectorand

market, but also due to the ongoing privatisation of the previously public agricultural

knowledge system (Klerkx and Leeuwis, 2008). As the definition of innovation previously

presentedindicates,innovationsdonotonlybenefittheinnovatorsthemselves,butalsoour

futuresocietythroughthecreationofpositiveexternalities,whichmakesitimportantforthe

Agriculturalproducers

NGOs

Othersupport

ProcessorsRetailers

Consumers

Research

Education

Extension

Inputsuppliers

Banks

15

publicsectorandgovernmenttoalsosharetheresponsibilityofinnovationbypromotingand

enablingit(EU-SCAR,2012).

Asinnovationrarelyhappensinisolation,networksforlearningandinnovationhaveproven

themselvesimportantfortheempowermentofinnovationamongfarmers(EU-SCAR,2012).

Thisisespeciallyimportantasknowledgecreationoccursindifferentpartsofthesystem,itis

created by farmers, researchers and private institution alike (EU-SCAR, 2012), and as

innovationdependsonmobilising knowledge the sharingof knowledgebetweendifferent

actorsinthesystembecomesimportantinordertoenablesuccessfulinnovation(seefigure

9).IthasbeensuggestedthateventheAKISconceptitselfisnotbroadenough,butneedsto

includeruraldevelopmentasa factoraswell (Riveraetal.,2005),asagricultureandrural

developmentareoftenlinkedandcanbeaffectedbypoliciesinbothfields.Riveraetal.(2005)

propose a model in which the agricultural producer is at the centre, and with research,

extension,educationandsupportsystemsallinteractingwiththeproducer,aswellaswith

one another (see figure 10). In this inclusive approach, focus has been putmainly on the

innovationonfarmlevels,andlessonthevaluechainactorsoftheagriculturalproductsthat

wereincludedintheAKISproposedbyEU-SCAR(2012).

Figure10.AmodeltoshowtherelationshipsinAgriculturalKnowledgeandInnovationSystems,includingruraldevelopment.(Riveraetal.,2005)

Agriculturalproducers

Research

Supportsystems

Education

Extension

16

For agricultural producers in northern Sweden, andmany other parts of the country, the

actorstheymeetthemostconcerningtheirproductionaretheextensionservices,whichare

providedbythelocalHushållningssällskapetNorrbotten-Västerbotten.Thesesocietiesstarted

outasalinkbetweenthegovernmentandtheruralpeoplewhentheywereestablishedinthe

early 19th century (Berndtsson and Markgren, 2002) with the purpose of improving the

economicsoftheruralpopulations.Thismeantthattheydidnotonlyworkwithagriculture

but also with schools, hospitals and brokering loans. These activities were increasingly

incorporatedintothepublicsectoroverthecourseofthe19thcentury,andinthe1960’seven

thegovernmentfundingforagriculturalextensionwasremovedfromtheruraleconomyand

agricultural societies (costing them 60-70% of their income) and instead given to county

agriculturalboards,whichhavesinceceasedtoexisttogetherwithstablegovernmentfunding

for agricultural extension. The EU entry did however bring new resources for rural

development projects and education for agricultural producers on ecology and the

environment,whichmanyoftheruraleconomyandagriculturalsocietieshavepickedupand

incorporated into their work. Even despite the loss of income for extension the societies

continuedtheirwork,astheywerealwaysdrivenwithastronglocalfocusandwithmembers

of the local population in the organisation. The changes in policymade thembecome an

intermediary in adouble sense,notonlywere theya linkbetween thepublic andprivate

sector for knowledge but they themselves were funded through both private and public

resources. Their history and strong local anchoring makes them a very interesting and

importantpartoftheagriculturalknowledgeandinnovationsysteminSweden.

17

3. Methodology and method Thisprojectisbasedprimarilyontheoutcomesofinterviewswithberryproducers,conducted

on-siteinnorthernSweden.Interviews,asaqualitativeapproach,werechosenasthemean

ofdatacollectionbecauseofthelimitednumberofblackcurrantproducersinthestudyarea,

aswellastheaimsofthestudy.

3.1 Qualitative research methods Qualitative research methods are meant for “exploring and understanding the meaning

individualsorgroupsascribetoasocialorhumanproblem”(Creswell,2009,p.4).Inregards

todatacollectionitismostoftendoneinasettingtheparticipantchoosesoriscomfortable

with,andthefollowinganalysisisdonebyfindinggeneralthemesinthespecificsmentioned

byinterviewees,therebyrelyingheavilyontheinterpretationmadebythepersonconducting

thestudy(Creswell,2009).Whilequantitativemethodsare innowaytheoppositeofthis,

they tend to drawmore towards testing out (objective) hypotheses by usingmeasurable

variables.For theunderlyingphilosophies forqualitativeandquantitativeresearchdesigns

thequalitativemethodscanbesaidtobuildonaninductivestyle,whilequantitativemethods

relyonamoredeductivestyle.

Within the realm of qualitative research methods there are several different types of

methodologies that can be applied to the project at hand; narrative research,

phenomenology,ethnographies,groundedtheorystudiesandcasestudies(Creswell,2013).

Theseallhaveslightlydifferentcharacteristicsandcanbemoreorlessrelevant,depending

ontheresearchtopic.Ingeneral,thenarrativeapproachcanbesaidtofocusonindividual

experiences,whilethephenomenologicalapproachfocusesondescribingandunderstanding

a shared experienced phenomenon. The grounded theory approach deals more with

developing theorieswith its base in the viewsof the participants, and the ethnographical

approachaimstodescribeandinterpretculturalpatternssharedbyagroup,whilethecase

studyapproachworkstodevelopandprovideunderstandingofoneormorecasesbasedon

in-depth descriptions and analysis (Creswell, 2013). For this project the case study

methodologyhasbeenchosen,astheresearchtopicisthecaseofblackcurrantproductionin

northernSweden.

18

3.2 Selection of participants DuetothelimitednumberofblackcurrantandarcticraspberryproducersinnorthernSweden,

amajorityoftheproducerstowhichHushållningssällskapetcouldprovidecontactdetailsfor,

whichwere still active producers, inNorrbotten countywere selected and interviewed.A

couple of interviewswere also conductedwith producers in Västerbotten county. As this

selectionprovidedfewyoungerproducers,additionalinterviewswerearrangedwithyounger

strawberryproducersinNorrbotten,seetable1forageintervalsofproducers.Abouthalfof

all interviewswithproducerswerewithacouplethatrunorworktogetherwiththeberry

production.Severaloftheproducersworkedwithmorethanonetypeofberry.

Table1.Ageintervalsofinterviewedberryproducers,notdifferentiatedbasedonlocationorcrop.Ageinterval Numberofinterviewedproducers*Under50years 350-60years 4Over60years 4

*Interviewsconductedwithcouplesarestillcountedasoneentityandnotastwoproducers.

3.3 Interviews Themainmethodofdatacollectionwithin thequalitative researchmethods is interviews.

Therearedifferenttypesofinterviewsthatcanbeconducted,generallyrangingfromstrictto

openinregardstoquestionformulation,orderofquestionsandresponseoptions.Asthereis

littlewrittenaboutblackcurrantproducers innorthernSwedentheinterviewsforthiscase

studywere of an explorative style focusing on the individual experiences of producers in

regards to starting a berry production, selling the berries, producer networks, advisory

supportandinformation,andperceptionofopportunitiesforprocessingoftheberries.The

interview was semi-structured to allow the interviewer to structure the interview into

questionthemeswhilestillallowingtheintervieweestocontroltheorderofthethemes,and

tobeabletorespondtothequestionsintheirownwords.

Aninterviewguidewascreatedinpreparationoftheinterviews(seeappendix1)toclarifythe

themes to be covered during the interviews, but this guide was not handed out to the

intervieweesinordertonotsteertheinterview.Theguideincludesseveralquestionsforeach

themeandwasusedasasupportfortheinterviewertocoverallrelevantthemes,whilebeing

abletoshifttheorderofwhichthethemeswereaddressedbasedontheflowoftheinterview.

Eleveninterviewswereconductedwithproducers,andtwowithformerproductionadvisors

19

astheseweredeemedimportanttogainabetteroverviewofthehistoricalcontextfroma

structuralpointofview.Nointerviewguidewasusedfortheinterviewswiththeadvisors,but

individualquestionsbasedontheirspecificfieldsofknowledgewerepreparedbeforehand

andtheinterviewswereveryopenandflexibletoreachtheaimofgainingbetterinsightsinto

thehistoryoftheadvisoryroleandfunction.

Allinterviewswereconductedinthehomeorotherlocationchosenbytheinterviewee.All

interviewswereconductedbetweenOctober17-31,2016andlastedbetween56minutesand

150minutes.Thelargetimespanmainlydependedonhowlongtheproducerhadbeenan

activeberryproducer,aswellasontheirinterestintheinterviews.Astheinterviewswere

conductedinthehomeenvironmentoftheintervieweestheatmospherewasquiteinformal,

andattimesincludedbothcoffeeandlunchwhichincreasedtheinterviewtime.Allinterviews

wererecorded,and laterontranscribed.Aftereach interviewashort recordingorwritten

notewasmadebytheinterviewertopointoutrelevantpointsmadeduringtheinterview.The

interviewswereconductedinSwedish,asthatisthemothertongueorchosenlanguageby

bothintervieweesandinterviewer.

3.4 Analysis The analysis chosen for this study is a typeof thematic analysis,which is a very common

analysisformatwithinqualitativeresearchwiththeaimtodetectpatterns(themes) inthe

data (Creswell, 2009). The method aims to detect underlying patterns in the data by

identifyingvariablesthattogetherwillexplainmostofthecontentandvariationofthedata

collected(Christensenetal.,2016).Thesevariablesconsistofthemesthatwilldescribeand

explainthedata.Thisanalysismethodcanbesaidtoconsistsofthreeprocesses(Christensen

etal.,2016)–thereductionprocess,thestructuringprocessandthevisualizationprocess–

whichtogethermakeupthelastfourofthesixstepssuggestedbyCreswellinhisdescription

oftheanalysismethod(Creswell,2009):

1. Transcribinginterviewsandtypingupfieldnotestoorganizethematerial;

2. Reading through the data, and potentially taking notes or recording thoughts

concerningthedata;

3. Initiating a coding process, which means that the material is reorganized into

segments;

20

4. Generatingdescriptionsofinterviewsubjectsaswellasanalysisthemes.Thesethemes

willthenprovidethemainfindingsofaqualitativestudyandshouldnotbetoomany,

but includedifferentperspectivesgivenby intervieweesaswellasbesupportedby

quotationsandotherevidence;

5. Findingawaytorepresentthethemesanddescriptionsinthequalitativereport;

6. Makinganinterpretationofthedata,topointoutwhatcanbelearnedfromthecase

study.

3.5 Validity The meanings of validity, reliability and generalizability differ between quantitative and

qualitativeapproaches,whichmakesitimportanttoherenotewhatconnotationstheycarry

in regards to this (qualitative)project,basedon thedefinitionsofferedbyCreswell (2009,

basedonGibbs,2007):

Validity means that the researcher checks for the accuracy of the findings by

employingcertainprocedures. (p.190)

Reliability indicatesthattheresearcher’sapproach isconsistentacrossdifferent

researchersanddifferentprojects. (p.190)

Generalizationisatermthatisusedinalimitedwayinqualitativeresearch,since

theintentofthisformofinquiryisnottogeneralizefindingstoindividuals,sites,

orplacesoutsideofthoseunderstudy.(p.192-193)

Bothvalidityandreliabilityinaqualitativeapproacharethereforedependentonprocedures

createdandcarriedoutby theprojectgroup inchargeofdatacollectionandanalysis.For

reliability,theseprocedurescanincludecheckingtranscriptsformistakesorinconsistentcode

definitions, and prioritizing communication as well as shared views and protocols among

researchersandanalysists.Forvalidity,which isa strongpointofqualitative research, the

matter is todetermine if findings are accurate from the standpointof targetperspectives

(Creswell, 2009). This leads to relevant procedures to include the establishing themes by

convergingseveraldatasources,membercheckingbypresentingfindingstoparticipantsto

askaboutaccuracy,clarifyingtheresearchers’ownbiasesandpresentingnotonlyinformation

inlinewiththethemesbutalsodiscrepantinformation.

21

Forthisstudyreliabilitywasassuredbyusingonlyoneinterviewerwiththesameinterview

guidelinesusedforallinterviews.Theinterviewswerealsoconductedwithinasshortatime

periodaspossible (twoweeks) tohave the interviewerkeepmuch the samemindsetand

knowledge level throughout all interviews. It is however near to impossible for another

researchertousethesameguidelinesonthesameinterviewsubjectsandreceivethesame

answers,asthe

Allinterviewswerecompletedbeforecodingandanalysiswereinitiated,andwhilethiscould

be beneficial to decrease the risk of biases being introduced during data collection and

compilation,itgoesagainstthegeneralwayofdatacollectionforqualitativestudies,asthe

analysisisrecommendedtobeconductedsimultaneouslywiththelaterinterviews,inorder

toimprovethechancesofreachingtheoreticalsaturation(Christensenetal.,2016),whichis

whenfurtherinterviewsnolongercontributetonewthemesbutonlycollaboratesprevious

findings. This process was not possible for this study for practical reasons, due to long

distances between interview subjects and the need to conduct the interviews when the

interviewerwasinthearea.

Forthecoding, itwouldhavebeenbeneficial for thecodertobesomeoneotherthanthe

interviewer,toavoidbiasesandminimizepotentialover-orunderanalysisofthedata.

3.6 Ethics Aswithallresearch,ethicsareimportantwhenusingqualitativeresearchapproaches.Using

qualitativemethodologiesthereareseveralethicalissuesthatcanarise,especiallyduringdata

collection and analysis (Creswell, 2009). These ethical issues particularly include consent

procedures,deceptiveactivitiessuchas lyingaboutthepurposeofastudy,powerbalance

between individual interviewees as well as between interviewee and interviewer,

confidentialityofparticipantsinthereport,requestsgoingbeyondsocialnormsandtherole

oftheinterviewerrelativetotheparticipants(Creswell,2013).

Forthisstudy,intervieweeswereinformedofthepurposeandaimsofthestudyoverphone,

aswellasperemailforthosethiswasrelevant,andremindedandofferedachancetoask

questionsatthestartofeachinterview.Itwaspointedoutthatthiswasanexplorativestudy

and that it had no aim to criticize or comment on actions of individual producers, but to

explore experiences and which barriers they perceived towards processing their berries.

22

Intervieweeswerealsotoldtheywouldbesentallquotesfromtheirinterviewswhichmaybe

used in the report, and that they would not be named in the report but handled as

anonymouslyaspossible,giventhelownumberofblackcurrantproducersinthestudyarea.

Todecreasetheriskofahierarchicalrelationshipbetweeninterviewerandintervieweesall

interviews were conducted at a location chosen by the interviewees,most often in their

homes,anditwasmadeclearatthestartoftheinterviewthatallquestionswereoptional,

anditwastheirchoicewhethertorespondornot.

23

4. Results 4.1 The berry value chains

The value chains differ for the different berries produced, according to the interviews.

Producerswithlargerharvestsgenerallysellmoretocompaniesthansmallerproducersthat

aremoredirectedtowardsconsumers.Thevaluechainsaccordingtoproducersaregenerally

short,thoughmanyalsoreporthavinglittleknowledgeofwhatbecomesoftheberriesafter

theyhavebeendelivered toprocessorsorwholesalers,making ithard todeterminewhat

values are actually added throughout the chain. Despite this, the interviews make the

distributionchainquiteclear,asitisarathershortchainwithfewactorsinvolvedascanbe

seeninfigure11.

Figure11.ThedistributionchainforberriesinnorthernSweden,bluerepresentingallstudiedberrieswhileblackrepresentsonlyblackcurrantsandredonlystrawberries.

4.1.1 Blackcurrants

Manyoftheblackcurrantproducershavebeenactiveincultivationsincethe1970’s,andhave

overtheyearssoldtheirberriestoseveraldifferentcompanies.MostreportNorrfrysbeing

the firstbuyer,whoboughtallblackcurrants in thearea (apart fromminorquantitiessold

directly to consumers) and froze them. After a cider factory (musteri) was established in

Hedenäset, just outside Haparanda, all the blackcurrants were sold to it and prizes were

negotiatedbetweentheprocessorandarepresentativeofNBG,afarmercooperativeinwhich

practicallyallblackcurrantproducersinNorrbottenwereapart.Thiscontinueduntilthecider

factoryabruptlystoppedbuyingthelocalblackcurrantsaround2012-2013,somethingwhich

Berryproducers

Singlemajorprocessor

Consumers

Singlemajorwholesaler

Self-pickorpre-picked,forpick-upatfarm

Minorownprocessingforlocalfairs

Minorsalestolocalretailer

24

wasannouncedonlyafewweeksbeforetheharvestthatyear.Afterthisthebuyersbecame

morediverseinthebeginning,withsomeproducerssellingtoajuiceprocessorinthemiddle

of Sweden, and others to a jam processor, a vineyard or increasing sales to consumers.

Discussionshavealsobeenheldwithanaromatechcompanyinterestedintheblackcurrant

buds,butlittlehascomeofityet.Theonlybuyerisnowthejuiceprocessor,whobuysthe

berriesfromacoupleofproducers,whiletherestaresayingthattheirharvestshavebeenso

low in lateryears that theyhavenotbeensellingmore than toconsumers.Oneproducer

recallstheyearswithNorrfrysandtheearlydayswithHedenäsetastheyearswiththebest

pricesfortheberries:1.”Ithinkoneyearwegoteven15or16SEK/kg.Andthathadeveryone

going/…/broughtdownthepricessooneyearwegot0,80SEK/kgandthentheypaid24

SEK/kgfor lingonberries.Sothenyouunderstandthat itwaswrongsomewhere.Andithas

continuedbeingthatwrongbecauseitisglobalblackcurrants,itisnottakenintoconsideration

iftheyareproducedhereeventhoughtheyhaveahigherinnerquality,verydifferentfrom

those that come from the South”.As previouslymentionedmany producers do not recall

pricesastheyhavebeenovertheyears,butwhenaskingaboutthecurrentpriceforberries

aspaidbythejuiceprocessoroneproducersmentions2.”Wegot10SEK/kgearlier,nowwe

get12SEK/kg”suggestingrelativelystablepricelevels.

Inregardstotheplantssomeproducersself-propagatewhileothersbuytheirplants,anda

fewreportissueswithfindinghealthyplantmaterialastheblackcurrantssufferfromquitea

few pests. All blackcurrant producers that were interviewed are now KRAV-certified and

thereforehavetorelyonorganicfertilizersandthemainpesticidetheyuseforblackcurrants,

Raptol.Inregardstocostsofinputsnoproducerhadanyclearnumberstogive,butsuggest

thatifonealreadyownstherightequipmentandpropagatestheirownplantsproductionis

notveryexpensive.Somekeypointsaboutthedifferentactorsmentionedinfigure11canbe

foundbelowinfigure12.

25

Figure12.Thekeythemesconcerningtheblackcurrantvaluechainasconcludedbytheinterviews.*Someoftheproduceisalsosolddirectlytoconsumersasfreshberries

4.1.2 Strawberries

ThestrawberrycultivationhasgrownovertimeinnorthernSweden,andtheproducersall

agree that thedemand is currently larger than the supplywhen it comes to locallygrown

strawberries. Fewproducers grow their strawberrieswithoutpesticidesorherbicides, and

none are KRAV-certified.Most producers started out selling their berries to awholesaler,

Finnerödja, but have since ended that relationship because of difficulties surrounding

transparencyandfairnessandareinsteadsellingdirectlytoconsumersthroughself-pickingin

their fields. Finding cultivars thatwill workwell in their northern conditions have been a

problemattimes,andseveralproducersreportthatdifferentcultivarsworkdifferentlywell

fordifferentproducers.All producers that sell directly to consumers report that returning

customersandmouth-to-mouthprovidetheirmainclientele.Someusedigitalresourcesto

announceopeninghours,andsomehavepreviouslyandstilloccasionallypostedadsinlocal

newspapers.Somekeypointsaboutthedifferentactorsmentionedinfigure11canbefound

belowinfigure13.

Plantmaterial

•Mostoftenself-propragation•Fewvarietiesgrown•Importantpropertiesincludeharvestability

Berries

•Fewkeyharvesters•Peopledependent•Fewadvisors,mainlyoldknowledge•Importedberriesofferseriouscompetition•Hardto"getridof"theberries,fewbuyers

* Processor

•Quickdeliveryafterharvestnecessary(perishable)•Onemainactor•Concentratedjuicetobemadeintoproductinlaterstage•Newinterestgroupsforaromasubstances(otherplantparts)•Fewprocessthemselves

Consumer

•Findstheprocessedproductinretail•Some(producers)sellminorquantitiesofself-processedproductsatfairs•Somesellself-processedproductsatsmallerfarmershops

26

Figure 13. The key themes concerning the strawberry value chain as concluded by the interviews. * SomeproducersselltoFinnerödja,orsmallerquantitiesstraighttolocalsupermarkets.

4.1.3 Arctic raspberries

Sofartherehasnotbeensufficientproductionvolumeforproducerstobeabletoselltheir

produceofarcticraspberriesatanysignificantscale,thoughtheyarereportinglargeinterest

fromhigherendmarketssuchasmarmaladeprocessors,chocolatiersandrestaurants.The

productionitselfisreportedtobethemajorfocus,ashealthyplantmaterialissometimeshard

tocomebyandmildewcanbeaproblem.As theharvest isalsonotmechanized,andthe

berriesmaturecontinuallyontheplant,itcanbeverytimeconsuming.Oneformerproducer

whoalsoprocessedberriesonasmallerscalementionedthehardshipsofchargingenough

fortheproducttopayfortheworkputintoit:3.”Butitisterriblymuchworkandreallyone

shouldtake1000SEKperjar[ofjam],givenallthework.Itisincrediblyhardtochargeforit.

Inpartitislyingandweedingbyhandwhichisahasslewiththeselargefields,andthenpicking

themisquitetimeconsuming.Butyoucannotcountthehoursonthis.”

4.2 Barriers faced by producers

Thechallengesproducersfacecomeindifferentforms,andaregenerallydeeplysituatedin

theirindividualcontexts,buttheinterviewshaveprovidedseveralthemesthatarereflected

inmoreorlessallofthetypesofberryproductionincludedinthisstudyandthesethemes

canbefoundinfigure14.

Plantmaterial

•GenerallyboughtfromHushållningssällskapetorDutchimport

Berries

•Varietiesimportantforharvesttimesandoverwinteringability•Reportlargemarketinterestandnolackofcustomers

* Consumers

•Mainlyfieldpicking•Somepre-picked•Littleadvertisement,mainlyfacebook•Oftenreturningclientele

27

Figure14.Thekeythemesconcerningthebarrierstoimprovingthestrategicpositionoftheproducersintheberryindustryasconcludedbytheinterviews.

4.2.1 Motivation

Motivation is a clear theme in the interviews, with the perceived identity of a producer

togetherwiththereasonforstartingtheberryproductionmakingupthemaininternallimits

ofwhataproduceriswillingtodo.Mostproducersusetheword“grower”whendescribing

themselves. For producers who started their production based mainly on interest of

cultivation,searchingfornewknowledgeandideasandimplementingismorecommonthan

amongthegroupofproducerswhostartedtheirproductionbasedonfinancialinterestsora

directneed.Thelatteroftenreportedhavingstartedwiththeircropbasedonexternaladvice,

especiallyconcerningblackcurrantsasthesewerepromotedbypolitical interestsandlocal

agencies“heldHallelujahmeetings”toencourageproduction.

4. ”Sothenwegotintothatthingwithblackcurrants,thathadbeenpropagatedquitea

bitfor”

5. ”Blackcurrantswerewhatwasinthepipeline”

6. ”Therewerecalculationsthat[showed]youcouldhavegoodprofitability.Theythought

theberrieswouldkeep relativelyhealthyuphereanddiseaseshadnotgottenhere

Motivation

Identityasaproducer

Reasonforstartingaproduction

Timeand(lackof)freedom

Support

Researchandtrials

Institutionalsupport

(knowledgebank)

Cultivation

Situationalconditionswithsoilandclimate

Weedsandpests

Fertilizersandpesticides,herbicides

Healthyplantmaterial

Market

Distances

Vulnerabilitytocheating

Valuesofgrowingimportance

Networks

Relationshipsshiftingfromproducers toconsumers

Persondependentvs.allcompassing

Decreasingaccessandopportunities

Newnetworksforming

Trustbased

28

much,yet.Itwasprettywellpaidthenfortheberries.Thereweremanyblackcurrant

growersinthattime.Nowtherearealmostnoneleft.Itwasalsoquiteeasywithsales

andtransportsbecausetherewheremanythatalsoweregrowersandhadhaulages

thatpickeduptheberriesandtransported(them).”

7. ”You were supposed to get rich from it. /…/ The prognoses that they had then

supportedblackcurrantcultivationalottheninthemid1970’s,youreceivedsupport

fromallsorts. Itwasthecountyadministrativeboard[Länsstyrelsen], Idonotknow

wherethemoneycamefrombutitwasour,thiscountygovernor[Landshövding]that

pushedforit.”

8. ”Iwanted todo something creative that tiresmephysically. I havealways enjoyed

cultivating,sowellthenletustrythat.”

9. ”Iwantedtocultivate,Iwantedtodoberrygrowing.Thatishowitis.”

Manyintervieweesreporttheirreasonforstartingablackcurrantproductiontobethatthey

wanted their land tobeused,andnot to let it sit idle,andblackcurrantsprovidedagood

opportunityduetoitslowlabourrequirementsandthepossibilitytocombineitwithregular

jobs.Despitethismostproducersarementioningalackoftimeandenergyconcerningtheir

production,aswellasinregardstoachievingagoodwork-lifebalance.

10. ”Wehadtriedtogrowbarleyhereand just felt thatwecannot let itgrow,become

overgrownwith bushes, it feltwrongwhen there has been somuchwork put into

improvingthesoilhere.”

11. ”Well we have to do something with the land, and then there was no demand,

absolutelynoneforblackcurrantswhenwestartedandIknowablackcurrantgrower,

hesaidwhatdamnidiotareyouthatstartwithblackcurrantswheneveryoneelseis

quitting.”

12. ”Whenthereislandyouhavetodosomething”

13. “Wehavethisparticularpieceofland,andthemostsuitablecropisthenstrawberries.”

14. ”Thisissosimple,cuttinggrassandthatIdid,whileIworkedIdiditoneveningsand

sometimesweekends.Nobutthisthingwithblackcurrants, it isnotthatmuchwork

withit.Anditisjusttractorwork,andplantingofcourse.SoIdohavealotofhourson

thetractor.Butitwasnotfuntoplantthosecuttings,butitwasnottoobad,twodays.

Putthosesticksdown.Nowadayswehavetransitionedtoplanttheallready-plants.”

29

4.2.2 Support

Severalproducersarequitenegativetowardsthelarge-scaleprocessingindustryaswellas

thedecreasedgovernmentalinterestinhorticulturalproduction,astheyrecalllosingsupport

functionsforproducers,thatpreviouslywereofferedbytheSwedishUniversityofAgricultural

Sciences(SLU)researchstationsinÖjebynandRöbäcksdalen,andbyLänsstyrelsen.Thissense

of lossespeciallyconcernsknowledgecreationandknowledgesharing,butalso includesa

generallackoftrustthatwaspreviouslynotthere.

15. ”Thereisnobigprofitforus,youdonotgetrich.Ifwebreakeventhisyearwehaveto

besatisfied.Butthisblackcurrantsubsidy,itissoverygoodthatwithoutIdonotthink

thiswouldwork.”

16. ”Yesbuttheyhavehadthatallthetime[businesssupportatÖjebyn],butthisthing

withcultivationtheyhavecloseddownmoreandmore.”

17. ”Butwehad, itwassuchthatthemiddlemantookmorethanweourselvesgot.So

then,becausethenwealsohadself-pick,nowwehavemainlyself-pick.Thenitruns

itself.Youjusthavetokeepchecking,butalsodoordersforthosethatcannotpick.”

18. ”NowweonlyhaveHildur [ablackcurrantcultivar],everyoneonlyhasHildur, ithas

beenonlyHildur foryears.Wehavenocultivars,but there isnowhere to takenew

cultivars from.That iswhatyou feel is theproblem,wehavenonewproductionor

development.Nothinghappens.TheyhavelikecloseddownÖjebyn.Thereisnomoney

forit.”

19. ”ButitwasalsosothatwhenIstartedcallingaroundinFinlandandSweden,inFinland

probablytoover20placesandinSwedentoo,anditwasquiteterrifyingtofindout

thatno,weconcentrateourberriestocentralEurope.Theyimportedallberriesalmost.

Itwasquiteterrifyingreally,bothFinlandandSweden.”

4.2.3 Cultivation

The conditions are, as always for producers, a common source of concern with pests,

pathogensandweedsconsumingmuchtimeandeffort.Producersalsoexperiencedifferent

issues,thatappeartorelatetotheirindividualsoilandclimateconditions.Findingsellerswho

canprovidehealthyplantmaterial,freefrompestsandpathogens,whichcanwithstandthe

30

northernclimateisalsoreportedtobeaproblem,andexceptforstrawberriesthereareno

newvarietiesbeingbroughtontothemarket.

20. ”Youaresupposedtochangeplantmaterialquiteoftentomanage.Therewerethese

vinbärsmal [a moth, Incurvaria capitella] and vinbärknoppmal [a moth, Kessleria

ruphella]forawhile,andtheywerequitedestructive.”

21. ”Thatwehaveworkedalotwith,theweeds.Byhand.Theylikeitthebest.”

22. ”Therewerenettlesthere,itwassoterrible,itwasawful.Wewillhavetoseehowthis

works.”

23. ”Thatisjustit,ifyouhavecultivationyouhavetokeepup.IfyouarebehindinSpring

thenyouarebehindallseason,itisthesame,everythinghastobedoneacertaintime,

therighttime.”

24. ”Reallyoneshouldhavehadnewlandandtriedtomoveitsothatthiscanbeoutof

cropsoyoucouldhavecroprotation,butithasnotbeenpossible.”

25. ”Butithasbeenbadsoyoudonotknowiftheplantswerehealthytheneither.Thatis

whatissohard,itishardtogetcuttingssomewherewhenyoudonotknowthatthey

are[healthy].Thiswithknopp-ochskottmal[moths,KessleriaruphellaandIncurvaria

capitella],theyallhaveit.”

26. “Buttherearedifferences,onecultivarworkswellhere,onein[villageA]andonein

[villageB].”

4.2.4 Market

TheperishablenatureoftheberriesmakethelongdistancesinnorthernSwedenhardtodeal

withwhenlookingfornewmarkets.Atthesametimemanyoftheproducerswithpick-your-

ownberriesmentionhavingcustomersthattravelfartocometothem,becausethereareso

fewplaceswheretheycanpickberries.Forproducersnotofferingpick-your-ownberries,they

oftensell theirproducetoonesingleprocessororwholesaler,andhavenootheroptional

buyerstotheirknowledge.

BeforetheJokkconceptwassoldbyNorrmejeriertoProcordiafiveyearsago(Orkla,2012)

most blackcurrant producers delivered their produce to them, andwere only told shortly

beforetheharvestthattheywouldnolongerbuytheirberries.Manyconsidercheapimported

blackcurrantstohavebeenthereasonforthis,andareclaimingthatthewholeberryindustry

31

tendstocheatwhenitcomestotheoriginofberries.Theyalsostatethatberriescultivatedin

northern Sweden are of higher quality than imported berries, and berries from southern

Sweden.

27. ”ButitwaslikeJokk,everyonethoughtitwasberriesfromNorrbottenbutitonlysays

berriesfromthewild.Itissodeceiving.”

28. ”Andithascontinuedtobethatskewedbecauseitisglobal,blackcurrants,thereisno

regardtakenforwhethertheyaregrownhereeventhoughtheyhaveahigherinner

quality,quitedifferentfromthatthatcomesfromtheSouth”

29. ”Ofcoursewewouldliketobeclosertosomeonebuying,itisjusthard.Wehaveno,

andhaveneverhadanythoughtsonanyprocessingourselves,andwhatwesellnow

wehavenomarketingfor,andhavenothaveforseveralyearsaswehavecustomers

thatknowwesellandthatyoucanorderandpickitupwhenithasbeenharvested.

Aboutthatsizeiswhatwefindcomfortable,itwouldprobablybepossibletomarket

andsellmuchmore.Butthenthereiscallingandfixing,weneverknowthatfarahead

whentheharvestwillbe.”

30. “Butthenoneisabitcowardlyatdemanding[ahigherprice],thinkingthatitisbetter

thatwegetridofitthan…Itisprobablybeforeonehasbecomeaname.”

31. “Onecannotfixatealltoomuchonthepriceandinabusinesslikethisthatdoesnot

work,youhavetotakewhatyougettoday”

32. “Thereisprobablymuchtothelatitudethinking.AnotherthingIoftensay,justherein

the region, iswhen you seeand feel strawberries fromhereandwhenwewereat

ÖsterlenandreallyPolka[astrawberrycultivar]theretastesnothingincomparisonto

here.”

4.2.5 Networks

The importance of relationships is clear especially among the older producers, and the

interviewsoftenincludedremarksaboutwhatotherproducersweredoing,orhow,suchas:

33.”Averyfineperson,Ihopehisworkpaysoffbecausehehasputsomucheffortin”.These

relationshipsarebuiltontrusttoaveryhighdegree,andgobeyondrelationshipsbetween

people to also encompass the relationships of an individual producer to institutions or

32

companies.Therearethereforeseveralstatementsreflectinghowtheyaredisappointedor

impressedbyotherproducers,governmentsandsoon.

34. ”ItisthroughNBGyoumeet.”

35. ”Itisprobably,wellyouknowwequitonce,twicewehavequitwithstrawberries,but

somanypeoplehavecalledsayingthatyoucannotstop,thatiswhywestartedagain.”

36. ”Weareintouchwitheveryone”

37. “Getincontactwithpeople,therearealotofforumsontheinternet,peoplewhoare

a bit interested, you can just try, that is what is important, to try.We graft a bit

ourselves,askpeopletosendscionssowecantest.”

38. “Thenwehavebeentothesemeetings,ofNBG,thatisgreat.Oneshouldtakemore

notes,youforget.”

39. “Ihavebeentothesemeetings,anditisreallyhard,youreallyknownothing,soyou

havetoask.Theyaregood,theyarehelpful[NBG].Youcanhearthatthereisalotof

experience,youcannotreadtothatmuchwiththisstrawberryplantation,wellyesyou

canabouthowmuchtodiluteandfertilizeandthat.Butyes,Ithinkthatyouhaveto

makequiteabitofmistakestoseehowitturnsoutjustatourplace.”

In regards to the relationships there is a clear difference between the older and younger

producers,wheretheyoungerproducershavetoa largerextent lookedfortheirnetworks

online, and found them in less formal arrangements than in traditional producer

organisations.Theyalsotendtofocusmoreontheirrelationshipswiththeircustomers,whose

feedback theyactively look for in regards to theirproduceand/orplantmaterial, thanon

relationshipswithsimilarlocalproducers.Theolderproducersdisplaytheoppositeandare

more focused on the relationships between producers, rather than with customers. The

producer organisation Norrbottens Bär och Grönsaker (Berries and Vegetables of North

Botnia)wasalsomoreactivewhileJokkwasstillproducedwithblackcurrantsfromnorthern

Sweden,afterwhichitsactivitieshavedecreased.Someproducerswishitwasmoreactiveas

theexchangeofinformationandexperiences,aswellasthesocialaspects,areofvaluetothe

producers.

Hardlyanyproducersexpressan interest in starting theirownprocessingoperation,apart

fromoccasionalsmall-scaleproductionforChristmasfairsandsimilarevents,despitewanting

33

theretobelocalprocessors.Thereasonsaregenerallynotgivenstraightout,butarediscussed

lateroninthispaper.

4.3 Visions for the berry value chain

In order to find the visions for the value chains itwas important to investigatewhat the

producershadvaluedinpreviousconstellationsofthevaluechain,aswellaswhatideasthey

themselveshadforproductsandprocessingopportunities.

Figure 15. The key themes concerning the producers’ visions for the berry industry as concluded by theinterviews.

Whenaskedforideasorwishestheproducerscameupwithquiteafewproductsthatcould

be interesting, as can be seen above in figure 15.Many refer to a need to increase the

perceived value of cultivated northern berries, which apart from arctic raspberries are

consideredmore as common garden berries than high-value produce. The notion among

producersthatconsumersneedtovalueproductsfromnorthernSwedenhigherthantheydo

Products

Berrypowder

Flavouring(chocolate&icecream)

Smoothieberries

Traditionalproductsbuthigh-end

Mixedcurrantproducts

Low-sugarproducts

Aromaindustry

"Fromnorthern

Sweden"brand

Processing

Localprocessors

High-endproducts

Integratedproductionandprocessing

Recipesuggestions

Left-overfruitprocessing

Networks

Exchangingexperiences

Coursesandinspiration

Research/trials

Moreonlinepresence

Multifunctionalproduction

Knowledgebank

34

todayisusuallyaccompaniedbytheideaofcreatingsometypeofcertificationorbrand.One

producerwentevenfurtherandsuggesteditshouldincorporatemorethanjustberriesand

ratherfocusonalltypesoffoodandgobeyondthecountryborderstostrengthenthestanding

ofnorthernproducers andprocessorsona global scale: 40.“Scandinavianeedsa sensory

profile”.

Almostall producerswish for there tobe localprocessors towhich they couldbring their

produce,orinsomecasesthefruitwhichisleft-over.BasedontheexperiencewithJokksome

stateaneedforproductionandprocessingtobe integratedintoonecompany,toprevent

processorsfromchoosingimportedberriesoverlocalones.

Thevisionregardingnetworksincludereintroducingtheinspirationalandknowledgecreating

role once held by Hushållningssällskapet and Länsstyrelsen, though the actors can be

different. Especially young producers express awish for a common platform to exchange

experiencesandideas,butarealsodisplayingalargertendencytolookfortheirowngroups

andinformationonlineandtohavetheirproductionasonlyonepartoftheirbusiness,where

nurseriesorgardencentresareacommonsecondpart.Manyproducersareinterpretingthe

alterationsatÖjebynasasignthatcultivationisnolongerofinteresttoauthorities,andthat

nonewknowledgeisbeingcreatedsuchasitusedtobe,includingnewvarietiesandadvisory

functions.Thereisalsoasenseoflossofknowledge,andthatknowledgeistiedtospecific

individuals,andthatthereisaneedtogathertheknowledgegainedbyadvisors,producers

andotheractors.

Whilemanyproducerslingerinthepastandtalkaboutwhathasbeen,andhowtheconditions

surroundingtheirproductionhaschangedsincethen,somearealsotouchingonwhatcould

bedonenowandhowforexampleprocessingcouldlookmoreintomixingdifferentkindsof

currants (red,white,blackandmorerecently introducedkinds)ornewcultivarsaswellas

entirely new berries could be found abroad. Saskatoon is one interesting berry that was

mentioned,comingfromNorthAmerica.Asoneproducerputitconcerningtheirownroleand

responsibility: 41. “We need to understand ourselves and our opportunities” and 42. “We

cannotcloseoureyesuntilitistimetosellit,thereisneedforadialogue”.

35

5. Discussion 5.1 Position of producers following the Five Forces model

Based on what producers have mentioned during the interviews, and the value chains

producedbasedonthisintheresultsectionthepositionoftheproducersaccordingtothe

fiveforcesmodelcanbedescribedasinfigures16-18.

Figure16.Figureshowingthestrengthofthefiveforcesaffectingblackcurrantproducers.

For theblackcurrants thecompetitorswithwhomthenorthernproducersexperience true

rivalryisprimarilyforeignproducers,especiallyincentralEurope,whicharebenefittingfrom

lower costs as well as higher yields. As the Swedish blackcurrants have not managed to

distinguishthemselvesintheeyesofbuyerstheyareonthelosingsideofthisrivalry.Thisis

alsothereasontothehighbargainingpowerheldbythebuyers,whichcaneasilyreplacethe

Swedishblackcurrantswithblackcurrantsproducedinothercountriesiftheychoosetodoso.

Asthemarketiscurrentlynottoogoodforblackcurrantproducersthethreatofnewentrants

islessofathreatwhenonlyconsideringSweden,butgloballyitcanbeamatterandgiventhat

blackcurrantscanbegrowninmanylocationsaroundtheworldthereisariskforincreased

competitionfromnewentrants,especiallysinceaproducerdoesnotneedtostartonalarge

scaleormakelargeinitialinvestmentsinmostcases.BlackcurrantsinSwedenholdnospecific

positionintheeyeofconsumers,unlikestrawberriesforexample,makingitmoresusceptible

Rivalryamong

competitors:HIGH

Threatofnew

entrant:MODERATE

Bargainingpowerofbuyers:HIGH

Threatofsubstitutes:MODERATE

Bargainingpowerofsuppliers:LOW

36

tosubstitutionfromotherberries.Asmanyblackcurrantproducersmaketheirowncuttings

theonlycrucialsupplierforthemarethosesellingfertilizersandthepesticideRaptol.Asfigure

16showstheoverallstrategicpositionofblackcurrantproducersintheberryindustryisquite

weak,withstrongcompetitionfromforeignproducersaswellasastrongbuyerside.Almost

allproducersarenowgrowingblackcurrantsaccordingtoorganicstandards(KRAV-certified)

and this could come to increase supplier power, as producers aremorebound to specific

products.

Figure17.Figureshowingthestrengthofthefiveforcesaffectingstrawberryproducers.

Thestrawberryproductionisseenashavingabrightfuturewithdemandbeinghigherthan

supplyinnorthernSwedenaccordingtotheproducers.Thismakesthecurrentrivalryquite

moderate as producers employing self-pick all have “their” regions, and consumers put a

highervalueonSwedishandlocalberriesascomparedtoimported,whichalsomakesbuyer

powerandthe threatof substitutionmoderate.Producers requirenospecific inputsapart

fromplantmaterial,makingsupplierpowermoderate.Asthemarketandasitappearsstill

expandingwhenitcomestopick-your-ownberries,andthecostsofenteringthemarketis

rather low the threat of new entrants is high. This all makes the strategic position of

strawberryproducersrelativelystable(seefigure17),thoughitcanbeimprovedfurther.

Rivalryamong

competitors:MODERATE

Threatofnew

entrant:HIGH

Bargainingpowerofbuyers:

MODERATE

Threatofsubstitutes:MODERATE

Bargainingpowerofsuppliers:MODERATE

37

Thearcticraspberryproductionisstillsosmallthattheberryisconsideredaluxuryproduct,

resultinginlowbargainingpowerofbuyersaswellaslowrivalryamongproducersasdemand

islargerthansupplyatthisstage.Thethreatofnewentrantsisalsomoderate,asquiteabit

ofknowledgeandcultivationmethodstillneedstobedevelopedinordertocreateefficient

production.Theberriescanalsonotbegrownfurthersouthduetoclimateconditions,making

itnecessaryfornewentrantstoestablishthemselvesinamorenarrowgeographicalsphere.

Thethreatofsubstitutesisalsomoderateastheberryiscurrentlyconsideredaluxuryproduct,

especiallyduetothelowsupply.Thiscouldhoweverchangeifproductionincreases,andifthe

berryisnotpositionedwelltoseparateitsvaluesfromotherberries.Supplierpowerislow

due toproducers generallyproducing theirownplantmaterial and requiring little specific

inputs.Allinallthestrategicpositionofthearcticraspberryproducersisgood,ascanbeseen

infigure18,butduetotheclearchallengesoftheproductionitself(cultivation,harvest)itis

hardtosaywhetherthiswillbecomeasuccessfulcommercialberry.

Figure18.Figureshowingthestrengthofthefiveforcesaffectingarcticraspberryproducers.

5.2 Comparison of value chains

Allberryproducersthataresellingtowholesalersorprocessorshaveonlyoneoutletfortheir

berries,andthesheeruseoftheterms“gettingridoftheberries”whichiscommonlyused

Rivalryamong

competitors:LOW

Threatofnew

entrants:MODERATE

Bargainingpowerofbuyers:LOW

Threatofsubstitutes:MODERATE

Bargainingpowerofsuppliers:LOW

38

createsthesensethatittrulyisabuyer’smarket,andthattheproducersdonothavemuch

bargainingpowerincomparison.Thisisalsoreflectedinhowblackcurrantproducersreport

havingtotakethepricetheyaregiven,ratherthanbeingabletonegotiatetheprices:“But

thenoneisabitcowardlyatdemanding[ahigherprice],thinkingthatitisbetterthatweget

ridofitthan…Itisprobablybeforeonehasbecomeaname.”,“Ithinktheyhavefixatedalltoo

muchonthepriceandinabusinesslikethisthatdoesnotwork,youhavetotakewhatyouget

today”.Takentogetheritallsuggestsarathervulnerablesystem,withbothpowerimbalances

andahighdependencyononlyafewactors.Theproducersarealsofacingfiercecompetition

fromimportedberries,withwhichtheyareunabletocompetebasedonqualityasneither

processorsnorconsumersappeartounderstandSwedishblackcurrantstobeofbetterquality

than imported berries. This is something which could be helped by research to look at

chemical profiles and sensory tests. If berries from northern Sweden do provide a higher

quality that should also be reflected in their value and improve the bargaining power of

producers.Thisresearchisalsolackinginregardstostrawberries,whicharemainlycompeting

withstrawberriesfromproducersinsouthernSweden,duetothelargerconsumerpreference

forSwedishstrawberries.Someproducersaregenerallyfocusedonthelatitudetheory,that

berries cultivated in the North contain more antioxidants as well as higher sugar levels

(perceivedasmoreflavour)thanthosecultivatedintheSouth:“thereisprobablymuchtothe

latitudethinking.AnotherthingIoftensay,justhereintheregion,iswhenyouseeandfeel

strawberriesfromhereandwhenwewereatÖsterlenandreallyPolka[astrawberrycultivar]

theretastesnothingincomparisontohere.”

5.3 Knowledge and innovation systems

Theamongproducersperceiveddeclineinbothresearchandextensionfocusedonberriesin

northernSwedenbecomesclearintheinterviews.Inthecaseofblackcurrantsthereisalsoa

senseof lossof interest fromthegovernmentasespecially thecountyadministrationwas

previously quite involved in supporting the blackcurrant production. The strawberry

productionontheotherhandalwaysappearstohavedevelopedmoreslowly,drivenmoreby

the market than by politics, and has not experienced as large a change in their support

structureandoverallknowledgeandinnovationsystemastheblackcurrantproducershave.

Forthearcticraspberriesthereisreasontosuspectthatlackoflocalknowledgecreationand

sharingcouldhavekeptproductiondown,asthereislittleknowledgeaccessibletoproducers

39

andespeciallylittleknowledgebeingproducedthatcanhelpwiththechallengingcultivation

andharvest.

5.4 Suggestions for improvement

Attheheartofthequestionwhyproducersarenotbecomingprocessorsappearstobethe

matterofidentity.Asmostproducerschoosetodefinethemselvesas“growers”,andalways

talkedaboutprocessorsas“them”,itseemsreasonabletoassumethatthereisindeedadivide

betweenthetwogroups,andthatitisamatterofhowtheyidentifythemselves,andtheir

reasons for producing berries. Given howNBG is a producers-only network, and how the

producershavegenerallynotbeeninanynetworkswithprocessorsthiscomesacrossasquite

natural,anda logical leapwouldthereforebetotrytocreateplatformsforproducersand

processors tomeet.While therearediscussionsabout theprocessing industry, thiswould

requirelargequantitiesofproduce,somethingwhichfewofthecurrentproducersareableto

guaranteeorevenhopeforgiventhedecliningharvestsofmanyfields.Anotherinteresting

potentialmarket,which the producers appear less vary off than the industry, is high-end

processedproducts,whichcouldincludee.g.artisanfood.Forthistherearealreadynetworks,

EldrimnerinJämtlandinparticular,andIseeanunder-exploredpotentialinlinkingproducers

andprocessorstocreatehigh-valueproductsthatcanhelptopromotenorthernflavours.This

would also allow producers to focus their time and efforts on their cultivation, and for

processorstobeabletofocusontheircraft,whilehopefullydevelopingpartnershipsthatcan

help both sides by better managing their resources in regards to both time, money and

knowledge.

ThechangesthatarehappeningbothinÖjebynandinsocietyatlargearepointingtowardsa

potentialfornewplatformsforcollaborations,andparticularlyforexchangesofinformation

andknowledge.Whilemanyoftheolderproducershaveastrongnetworkoflocalproducers,

youngeronesdonotandare instead looking fornetworksandknowledge inotherplaces,

something which could be used by creating accessible online resources, where

communication between producers and advisors or can be promoted. Despite most

intervieweesbeingonlinetocheckonethingortheotherduringmyvisit,thereappearstobe

nocommonplatformforthem,neitherforthemtoreceiveinformationortocommunicate.

ThisissomethingIbelievewillonlybecomebigger,andtheyoungerproducersarealready

40

tryingtogatherinformationaboutcultivation,andinspiration,fromanywherepossiblesothe

needisthere.Thereisaneedforcontinuousdevelopmentofnewvarietiesandcultivation

methodsandmanyofthelessonslearnedinsouthernSweden,oreveninonepartofnorthern

Sweden,donotapply toconditions facedelsewhere,asconcludedby theproducers:“But

therearedifferences,onecultivarworkswellhere,onein[villageA]andonein[villageB]”.

Thisbegsthequestionofwhoshouldberesponsibleforthis.Themarkethereisquitesmall,

andvarietiesdevelopedfornorthernconditionsareprobablyoflimitedinterestinotherparts

ofthecountry,butmaywellbeofinterestinothernortherncountries.Manyoftheproducers

are looking to Finland for new knowledge and cultivars, and there should be reasons to

consider a collaboration across the borders, to try varieties out in different countries to

increase the potential market for the plant material as well, and to use resources more

efficiently.

ThereregionalfoodstrategyforNorrbottensuggeststhatthecountyisalreadyawareofmany

of the interventions suggested here when it comes both to connecting producers with

processors and tourism agencies and events, and to the need of securing the further

developmentofcompetenceintheregion.Theyalsoidentifytheneedtoreachproducersand

othervaluechainactorstodeepentheunderstandingofthevaluechainforallinvolved,as

well as improve entrepreneurship and thereby the inner motivation and competence of

producers,amongothers.Allinallthestrategyentailsmanyrelevantandinterestingmeasures

tobetakentoincreasetheproductionandperceptionofagriculturalproductsproducedin

Norrbotten,anditwillbeinterestingtoseewhatwillcomeoutofit.Onethingitappearsto

lackthoughisplansforcollaborationswithothercounties,orevencountries,tocreateand

shareknowledgewhichcouldhelpimprovethechallengesfacedincultivationamongother

areas,andintheendimprovetheconditionsforinnovationtooccur.

5.5 Suggestions for future research

As it was mentioned in the introduction, not that many studies have been done on

horticulturalproductioninnorthernSweden,andespeciallynotonberrieswhicharethemain

horticulturalcropinthatclimate.Thisstudywasexploratoryinitsnatureduetothis,andit

canhopefullyhelptoshedsomelightonthepotentialforfuturestudiesthatcanhelpfurther

theknowledgeinthefieldofhorticulturaleconomics,andbeyondit.

41

For starters it would be interesting to further study the internal drivers and brakes of

producers,asthisstudysuggeststhatidentityandmotivationarecrucialindetermininghow

a producer actswhen facedwith change aswell aswhether the producer actively drives

change.Anotherimportanttopicforafuturestudywouldbetheagriculturalknowledgeand

innovation systemsandhowwhat roles theyplay indifferenthorticultural industries, and

especiallyindifferentgeographicalregions.

Amorecomprehensiveruralperspectivewouldalsobeusefulinastudylookingintopotential

collaborationstofurthertheruralpopulationsatlarge,wheretourismoreventscouldwell

work together with production or processing to provide an increased added value to

consumers.

AnotherfieldthatwouldbeofinterestisastudyofhorticulturalindustriesbasedonPorter’s

fiveforcesmodel,andtotakeahistoricalviewpointtoseehowpositionsofproducershave

changedovertimeandiftherearepatternsinhow,atleastcertain,horticulturalindustries

developinregardstothepositionsoftheproducers.Thiscouldthenbeofhelpinfindinggood

examplesofeffortsthatcanimprovethestrategicpositionofproducers.

Inregardstothevaluechainsstudiedforthisthesistherearestillnooksandcreviceswaiting

tobestudied,amongthemonethatwouldmeandivingintothevaluechainstoactuallysort

outwhereandhowvalue isadded,aswellashowcostsarecarriedanddividedbetween

actorsinthevaluechain.Forthisitwouldbeusefultoshiftfocusfromtheproducerstothe

entirevaluechainwithallitsactors.

Takenalltogetherthereisstillmuchtostudyandresearchabouthorticulturalproductionin

northernSweden.Thisisespeciallytruewhenventuringoutofthefieldofcultivationandinto

the fieldofeconomics,andunavoidablyalso ruraldevelopmentas theseare tightly linked

whentheproducersthemselvesareapartoftheruralpopulations.

42

6. Conclusions The national food strategy is becoming a reality and as one of its strategic areas is

knowledge and innovation it appears clear that we need to know how to further

knowledgecreationandinnovationinouragriculturalandhorticulturalsystems.Thiscase

studyhasstudiedberryproducersinnorthernSwedenandtheirpositionandroleinthe

berryvaluechains,toexplorewhichbarriersappeartoexistpreventingproducersfrom

creatinginnovationinthevaluechain,andwhichpotentialforimprovementtheyseein

thefuturetoovercomethosebarriers.Themainfindingsofthiscasestudyarethatthere

isaneedforcommonplatformsthatbringtogetherdifferentactorsinthevaluechain,and

encourages networking and knowledge sharing between them, as well as a stronger

support network to capture and help create new knowledge, which is the basis for

innovation. There is also a potential for more rural networks, to find new business

opportunities for creating added value to consumers by supporting collaborations

between forexampleproducersandprocessors,orproducersand tourismagents.The

studyhasalsofoundthattherearedifferencesbetweenproducers,inregardstohowthey

view themselves as producers and in what drives them to produce berries, which

influenceshowlikelyaproduceristobeinnovativeandopentonewventuresthatcan

helptodevelopthelocalindustry.Inadditiontothefindingsaboutproducersandtheir

rolesinvaluechains,thestudyhasalsoservedasanexampleofhowpoliciesandpolitical

decisionscanaffectvaluechainsandtheattitudesofitsactorsforalongtime,asinthe

caseofblackcurrantswhere theproductionwaspromotedby localauthorities to later

becomeapartofthederegulationofmarkets.

43

7. Reflections DuringmyyearsasastudentIhaveworkedalotforstudentorganisations,whichhasgiven

meachancetoworkonastrategiclevel.Togetherwithmystudiesthishasmademeinclined

toalwayslookatsystemsratherthanindividualentities,howevermessyandinterconnected

thesesystemsmaybe.WhenIstartedthisthesis,Iwasthereforeveryfocusedonlookingat

systematic barriers and opportunities, as I was imagining that for example improved

communicationorinfrastructurewouldbethekeytomakeproducersintoprocessors.What

Iquicklystartedrealisingduringtheinterviewsthough,wasthatthingswerenotthatclear-

cut in reality,and inmyanalysis I startedseeing that theparameters thatappeared tobe

hinderingthisshiftwasreallytobefoundbetweenthelines,orinthemattersnotdiscussed

directly. The fact that identity and attitudes, together with a network or platform for

knowledgecreationandsharing,andsocialrelationshipsseemedtobeattherealcoreofthe

answerthereforesurprisedme.Ittookawhiletorealisethatmydatawasreallysayingthat

theanswerastowhytheregionalberryproductioninnorthernSwedenlooksthewayitdoes

liesinthehumanfactors,somemoreindividualandothersmoreintheinterfacesbetween

actorsinthevaluechain.Insocietyatlarge,itappearsthatparameterswhichcaneasilybe

quantifiedaremoreusefultoinformpolicyandchangestoasystem,especiallyinregardsto

followingupactivitiesandchanges,buthavingfollowedthedataratherthanmyownoriginal

ideasIamleftwonderingifwesometimesneedtolookbeyondthequantifiabletofindwhere

changecanreallymakeadifference.

AnotherthingwhichIcametorealiseduringtheinterviewswashowunawaremanyproducers

areofthesystemtheyarein,wheremanydonotknowwhatbuyersdowiththeirberries,

howtheircompetitionreallylooks,whatpriceswouldbeneededbasedoncostsandperceived

values, and so on. They simply work the way they have always done, sometimes trying

somethingnewbecauseofinterestorbecausetheyhaveheardaboutitfromsomeonethey

know.AsIwasexpectingthemtobemoreawareoftheentiretyofthevaluechainstheywere

in,orhowpriceslookedalongthevaluechain,Ihadtochangemywayofaskingaboutover

thecourseoftheinterviewweek,andacceptthatnomatterhowIaskedtherewouldnotbe

ananswerascomprehensiveasthatwhichIhadexpected.

44

ThereareseveralthingsIbringwithmefromthisthesiswork,includinghowimportantitisto

remainopentowhatthedataistrulytellingyou,howtherewillalwaysbethingsthatdonot

goaccordingtoplan,andhowworkingwithdatacanbeharderthanexpected.Iforonehad

neverbeforeconductedastudybasedoninterviews,andthereforefailedtorealiseaheadof

timehowmuchtimeittakestotranscribeandanalyseinterviews.InmycaseIendedupwith

almost24hoursofinterviews,whichtookweekstotranscribeasIsoonrealisedthatagood

daymeanttranscribinganabsolutemaximumof1,5hoursworthofinterviewtime,aseach

interviewhourtookroughly3hourstotranscribe.Inretrospect,Irealizethatamorelimited

interview,wherebothtimeandtopicsdiscussedweremorecontrolledbyme,wouldhave

decreasedmyworkloadsignificantly.AtthesametimeIdoubtIwouldhavecomeoutwith

thesameresults,asmanyofmyfindingscamequiteabitintotheinterviews,whenIallowed

theintervieweestotalkaboutthetopicsthattheywerethemostinterestedinthemselves.

Allinall,Ihavetrulyenjoyedworkingwiththisthesis,especiallybecauseofthepeopleIhave

beenable tomeet, all the theories I havebeen introduced toand theway it hashadme

constantlyquestionmyideasandassumptions.

45

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I

Appendix 1: Interview guide Shortpresentationoftheresearchprojectwithitspurposeandaims.DegreeprojectwithinthehorticulturalscienceprogrammeatSLU.The situation of berry producers in northern Sweden, including the history and current state.Challenges,motivations,reflectionsetcalongtheway.Elevenproducersinterviewed.RoleisnottocriticallyexamineindividualsbuttofindpatternsexplainingthecurrentsituationofberryproducersinnorthernSweden.TechnicaldetailsApproximately1hourSoundrecordingAnonymityWillgettheopportunitytocommentonthequotesusedforthethesisBackgroundinformationTellmealittleaboutyourberryproduction?

- Whendidyoustart?- Howlargeistheproductionarea?- Whatdoyouproduce?- Whereisyourproduction?

Interviewthemes1

Motivation- Whatmadeyoustartaproduction?- Doyouhaveothersourcesofincomeapartfromtheberryproduction?- Whatadvicewouldyougiveaproducerjuststartingout?- Whichopportunitiesdoyouseenowandinthefuture?- Whatisyourbiggestchallengeasaberryproducer?

Supportnetwork- Areyouincontactwithotherproducers?How?- Whichsupportwastherewhenyoustartedoutasaproducer?- Howdoyoureceiveorfindnewinformationorknowledgeconcerningyourproduction?How

wouldyoulikeittowork?Valuechain

- Howdoyousellyourproduce?Throughwhichchannels?- Howarepricesnegotiated?- Whatdoesthebuyerdowiththeproduce?- Howdoyoufindbuyers?- Whichprocessedproductsdoyouthinkwouldbeinterestingtodevelop?

Production- Whatdoesaproductionyearlooklike?- Howdoyoushiporpackagetheproduce?

1Thethemeswereoriginallyorganisedaccordingtoatemporalscale,focusingonwhentheproducerbeganproductiontothecurrentstatetofuturevisions.Thiswasreorganisedafterthefirsttwointerviewsasintervieweesshowedaclearpreferencetofocusonthemesratherthantime.Allthemesthereforeincludethesethreetemporalaspectseventhoughtheyarenotmentionedhere.

II

Appendix 2: Original interview quotes in Swedish Valuechain

1. ”Jagtrorettårfickvitillochmedja15eller16kr/kg.Ochdetlockadejuigångalla/…/togjunerprisernasåettårfickviju80öre/kgochdåbetaladede24kr/kgförlingonen.Sådåförstårmanattdetjuvarsnettnågonstans.Ochdetharjufortsattmedattvarasådärsnettfördetär juglobaltdetsvartavinbär,dettas ju intehänsyntillomdeärodladehärfaständeharhögredeninrekvalitetenärjubetydligtannorlundaändetsomkommerneröver.”

2. “Viharjufått10kr/kgförr,nufårvi12”3. ”Mendetärfruktansvärtmycketjobbochegentligenskullemanta1000spänn[sylt]burken

medtankepåalltjobb.Detärotroligtsvårtatttabetalt.”Delsärdetattliggaochrensaförhand, ogräs, vilket är jättejobbigt med de här stora fälten, sen plocka dem är ganskatidsödande.Mendetgårinteatthanågontimtidpådethär”

Motivation

4. ”Sådåkomviinpådetdärmedsvartavinbärsomdetjupropageratsenheldelför”5. ”Svartavinbärvardetsomvaraktuellt”6. ”Detfannskalkylerattmanskullekunnahaengodlönsamhet.Mantroddeattbärenskulle

hållasigganskafriskahäruppeochsjukdomarhadeintekommitsåmycketav,änkanske.Detvarvälganskabrabetaltjustdåförbären.Detfannsjumångavinbärsodlareidensvängen.Nuärdetnästaningakvar.Senvardetocksåganskalättsamtmedförsäljningochtransporterfördetvarmångasomocksåvarodlaresomhadeåkeriochhämtadebärenochkörde.”

7. ”Manskullebli rikpådet./…/ Joprognosernasomdehadedådet stöddes juvinbärsodlingmycketdåpåmittenav70-talet,manfickstödfrånalltmöjligt.Detvarjulänsstyrelsen,jagvetintevarifrånpengarnakommendetvarjuvårdenhärlandshövdingensomdrogpå.Nådetvarjuovandärnärviskullebörjameddetdärintevetjagnuomdetharvaritmenriktigtsåhardetvälaldrigvaritsåmycket.Prognosernavisade.”

8. ”Jagvillgöranågotkreativtsåjagblirtröttikroppen.Jagharjualltidtycktomattodlaså,jamendåprovarvidet”

9. ”Ellerjagvilleodla,jagvillehållapåmedbärodling.Sådärärdet.”10. ”Vihadejuprovatattodlakornhärochkändejubaraattvikanjuintelåtadetväxa,jamen

förbuskas,detkändesjufelnärdetärsåmycketjobbsomärlagtnerförattfåuppjordenhär.”11. ”Javimåstejugöranågontingpåmarken,ochdåfannsdetjuingenefterfrågan,absolutingen

påsvartavinbärnärvibörjadeochjagvetenjordgubbsodlarenerei,hansavadärduförenförbannadidiotsombörjarmedsvartavinbärnärallaandraslutar.”

12. ”Finnsdetmarksåskamanjugöranågot.”13. ”Viharjustdenhärjordplätten,ochdenlämpligastegrödanblirjujordgubbar.”14. ”Dethärärjusåenkelt,detärjuklippagräsochdetkördejagjumedanmanjobbadegjorde

manjudetpåkvällarnaochiblandpåhelger.Nämendethärmedsvartavinbärdetärjuändåintesåhemsktmycketjobbmeddet.Ochdetärbaratraktorjobb,ochplanteringvisserligen.Så nog har jag väldigtmånga timmar på traktorn.Men var då inte roligt att sätta de därsticklingarna,nogvardetintefarligt,tvådagar.Stoppanerdedärpinnarna.Numeraharvidockgåttövertillplanteringavfärdigaplantor.”

Support

15. ”Inteblirdetnågonstorvinstföross,inteblirmanrik.Gårdetihopiårfårvivälvaranöjda.Mendethärbidragetsvartavinbärsbidragetdetärjusåmycketbrasåutandettrorjagintedetskullegå.”

III

16. ”Jomendehardehafthelatiden,mendethärmedodlingdehardelagtnermerochmer.”(omÖjebynochföretagsstödförodlare)

17. ”Menvifick,detvarjusåmellanhandentogmeränvadvificksjälv.Sådå,fördåsåldeviävendåsjälvplocksåärdetmestsjälvplockvisäljer.Dåsköterdetjusigsjälv.Manfårbarakolla,menävendåbeställningfördesomintekanplocka.”

18. ”NuharvibaraHildur,allaharbaraHildur,detharvaritåratalbaraHildur.Viharingasorter,mendetäringenstansatttahellernyasorter.Detärdetmankännerärproblemet,viharjuinganyaproduktionellerutveckling.Dethänderingenting.DeharsomlagtneriÖjebyn.Manharjusomintepengarfördet.”

19. ”OchsenmendetvarjudetocksåattnärjagbörjaderingaruntiFinlandochiSverige,iFinlandsäkertöver20olikaställenochiSverigeocksåochdetvarjuganskaskrämmandesåmanfickjuredapåattnejvikoncentrerarvårabärtillmellerstaEuropa.Deimporteradeallabärnästan.Detvarjuganskaskrämmandefaktiskt.BådeFinlandochSverige.”

Cultivation

20. ”Jo, egentligen ska man byta växtmaterial ganska ofta för att klara sig. De var de härvinbärsmalochvinbärsknoppmaletttagsomvarganskaförödande.”

21. ”Detharvijobbatmycketmed,ogräset.Förhanddå.Dettrivsjubäst.”22. ”Devarjubrännässlornadärdetvarjusåhemsktdetvarfruktansvärt.Vifårsehurdethär

går.”23. ”Detärjubaradet,harmanodling,manmåstehållaefter.Blirmanefterpåvårendåärman

efterhelasäsongen,detärjusammaalltmåstegörasenvisstid,irätttidjo.”24. ”Nej,detharviinte,såegentligenskullevijuhaftennymarkochsåhademanförsöktattdär

kunnaflyttasåfårdetdärvaraiträdesåmanskullehaväxelodling,mendetharjuintegått.”25. ”Mendetharjuvaritsomdåligtsåmanvetinteombuskarnavarheltfriskadåheller.Detär

judetsomärjusvårt,detärsåsvårtattfånågonstanssticklingarnärmanintevetattdeär.Dethärmedknoppmalenochskottmalendetharjuallihopa”

26. “Mendetärskillnad,ensortgårbrahär,eni[OrtX]ocheni[OrtY]”

Market

27. ”Menjajustdet,jagärju,mendetvarjusomJokkkomocksåattallatroddeattdetvarjubärfrånNorrbottenochmendetståratt"bärfrånvildmark".Detärsåvilseledande”

28. ”Ochdetharjufortsattmedattvarasådärsnettfördetärjuglobaltdetsvartavinbär,dettasjuintehänsyntillomdeärodladehärfaständeharhögredeninrekvalitetenärjubetydligtannorlundaändetsomkommerneröver”

29. ”Klartviskulleviljahanärmaretillnågonsomköper,detärbarasvårt.Vihar ingaochharaldrighafttankarpånågonförädlingsjälv,ochdetvinusäljerharviingenmarknadsföringför,ochharintehaftpåfleraårdåviharkundersomvetattvisäljerochattmankanbeställaochhämtanärdetskördats.Ungefärdenomfattningtyckerviärbekvämt,detskullenoggåattmarknadsföraochsäljamycketmer.Mendåskadetringasochordnas,vivetaldrigsålångtiförvägnärskördenblir.”

30. “Mensåärmanjulitefegapåatttaut,tänkerattdetärbättreattvibliravmeddetänatt.Detärvälinnanmanblivitnågotnamn.”

31. “Manfårintefixeraalltförmycketpåprisetochiensånhärbranschgårdetinte,manfårtadetmanfåridag”.

IV

32. “Det liggernogmycketpåbreddgradstänket.Enannansaksom jagbrukarsägabarahär ilänet,detärnärmanserochkännerpåjordgubbarfrånhärifrånochvivarpåÖsterlenochalltsåPolkadärsmakarjuingentingiförhållandetillhär.”

Networks

33. ”Väldigtfinmänniska,jaghoppasattdetblirnågontingavhansarbeteförhanharlagtnersåmycketjobb”

34. ”DetärjuviaNBGmanträffas.”35. ”Detärnog,jaduvetvislutadejuengång,tvågångerharvislutat,medjordgubbarmendet

harringtsåmycketfolkattnifårintesluta,detärdärförvibörjadeomigen”36. ”Viharkontaktmedalla.”37. ”Hittakontaktmedfolk,detfinnsmycketforumpånätet,folksomärlitesmåintresserade,det

ärbaraatt testa,detärdetsomärviktigt,att testa,viymparendelsjälva,ber folkskickaympkvistarsåvikantesta.”

38. ”Sen har vi ju varit på de härmötena, NBGs, det är ju jättebra, jätteroligt.Man borde juantecknamer,manglömmerjubort.”

39. ”Jagharjuvaritpådehärmöten,dehärträffarnaochdetärjujättesvårt,manvetjuingentingalltså,såmanfårjufråga.Detärjubra,deärhjälpsamma(NBG).Manhörjuattdetärmycketerfarenhet,mankaninteläsasigtillsåmycketmeddenhärjordgubbsplanteringen,alltsåjodetkanmanjuhurmanskaspädaochdenhärgödslingenochdet.Menjajagtrormanmåstegöraganskamycketmisstagförattsehurdetblirjusthososs.”

Visions

40. ”Skandinavienbehöverensensoriskprofil”41. ”Vimåsteförståosssjälvaochvåramöjligheter”42. ”Vifårinteblundatillsviskasäljadet,detbehövsendialog”